While the Memphis Grizzlies might not be ready to deal Ja Morant yet, the NBA doesn’t appear to be very excited by the prospect that they may soon do so. Tim Bontemps, who appeared on the Hoop collective Podcast Monday, said that he didn’t believe there would a large trade market for Morant. Marc Spears of ESPN echoed the sentiments expressed by Tim MacMahon on Monday’s episode of Hoop Collective Podcast.Spears stated that he spoke to two GMs, who said last summer every Grizzlies player was available for trade. “That includes Ja, Jaren [Jackson]. It is interesting to me that Orlando Magic was able to trade for Desmond Bane with the Grizzlies. This made it obvious that they could have gotten Ja morant but decided not to.”Four executives stated that they had no interest in trading Morant. One executive said the reason was a mix of off-court and contract issues. One person said that Ja would be traded for another problem star if he is dealt. Some of them said you also need the right coaching team to have a star like him. When I asked a current NBA coach whether he’d like to coach Ja, he replied that he wasn’t sure he’d want to.It’s important to investigate why there are so few teams interested in Morant, given his credentials. Spears’s explanations were part of this equation. Morant’s earnings will be at the top of the list not only for this season, but also for two more seasons after that. Ses off-court troubles speak for him. He has been suspended from 34 games and his absences don’t stop there.
Morant is frequently injured and misses games. During his career, he missed approximately 35% all Grizzlies’ regular-season games. These injuries add up. Morant’s performance is deteriorating, and this is reflected in his statistics. This is especially true for the areas that are most critical to his style of play. He doesn’t get to the rim nearly as often. He isn’t getting to the rim as much. In turn, he’s not scoring as often.
Ja Morant wants his minutes to be respected, but his declining performance no longer merits superstar status
Brad Botkin
These explanations are valid as part of a larger whole. Morant is being overlooked for another factor that affects his trade value. This factor would be the same regardless of recent controversies. Trae Young is a good example. MacMahon stated on another episode Hoop Collective of the Hoop Collective show that Dejounte was not the only player the Atlanta Hawks were considering moving in the offseason 2024. Trae would already be in another city if there had been a real market. He is far from being the only one to experience this phenomenon.
James Harden’s trade to the Clippers early in 2023-24 netted Philadelphia a very good first-round unprotected pick, one “least-favorable-of-three-teams” first-round selection from the Thunder, and a protected swap first-round from the Clippers. Damian Lillard’s trade to the Milwaukee Bucks netted him two unprotected first-round picks and one unprotected exchange, as well as Jrue Holiday who was later traded for picks. At the time of these trades, both players had been selected for 19 All-Star Games. Mikal Bridges, who has never played in an All-Star Game, received five first-round selections and one first-round trade. Rudy Gobert, while he is a little more accomplished, is still far behind Harden and Lillard. Every trade is different. He also got five first round picks, and a swap, if you include Walker Kessler who had not yet played. The stock market is not like this, where the value of a player can be fixed. You simply click “trade”, when it reaches a certain level. What someone gets depends on many factors including their age, health status, contract, personality, and the circumstances of the teams. But the recent past shows that high-usage guards are paid less, while wings (we haven’t even mentioned Paul George) almost always earn more and bigs in certain situations can make a good living. Why is this? Because, for most point guards, their value comes from their ability to perform when they are in possession of the ball. They are limited in their defensive abilities by their size and workload. They may be good shooters but they are often more effective off the ball than on the dribble. Because of their heavy usage, it’s likely that they haven’t done a lot of cutting or screening during their career. It’s not that these players are bad. The best teams have them already, and if they don’t they are because their offense is already run by bigger players. It’s usually the best teams who are willing to pay high prices on the market for All-Stars.
Bridges was the result of a trade between the Knicks and all their picks. Why would they trade for Morant when Jalen Brunson is already there? Morant’s bad shooting would limit the space he could create. The Knicks would have a harder time defending Morant because of his small stature. Scroll down to see the contenders. Shai Gillian-Alexander is the Thunder’s star. Donovan Mitchell is on the Cavaliers’ roster, as well as Darius Garland. Tyrese Maxey and VJ edgecombe are fighting it out for touches in the 76ers. The Lakers have Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. The Nuggets have Jamal Murray and run their offense through a center in Nikola Jokić. Morant makes no sense for these teams. Even teams in need of guards may not require a Morantesque guard. Houston is a good example. Could the Rockets go all out for a guard in this season’s draft? Yes. Kevin Durant already is their half-court shooter, Alperen Sengun is more of a ball handler than most bigs, and Amen Thomson is a healthier, younger and more versatile version the “elite athletes that can’t actually shoot but put a lot of pressure on the rim archetype.” Morant isn’t a good fit either. When Damian Lillard ruptured his Achilles tendon last spring, the basketball world panicked thinking that the Bucks were doomed without a guard scorer of high level. They’ve done just fine on a budget. Ryan Rollins has been averaging 83% of Morant’s points for around 10% of the salary. Cole Anthony, who makes minimum wage, is not far behind. Free agents can be found for relatively low prices. It’s a situation where supply exceeds demand. This allows teams more freedom to select their own style. Morant doesn’t fit the Bucks’ need for shooters who can surround Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Spears mentioned the Magic during his reporting. They could have probably traded for Morant if the Grizzlies had offered them what they paid for Desmond Bane. Think about why the Magic specifically wanted Bane. For years, they’ve been near the bottom of their league when it comes to 3-point shooting. They are a team that puts defense first and didn’t want it changed. They needed someone to boost their offense, without taking the ball away from their young franchise players Paolo Banchero or Franz Wagner. Bane ticks all three boxes. Morant doesn’t check any of the boxes. Bane would be the easier player to add into an existing roster, even though Morant may have more recognition. This is the key. Ja Morant doesn’t fit into any team. It’s only logical to put him on a team that will build their entire program around both his strengths and weakness. Sacramento is the team most often mentioned in phony trade talks. The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson stated that the Kings had not yet begun trade negotiations with the Grizzlies, but they would be expected to keep an eye on the situation. They already have a bunch of high-usage ball-handlers that don’t really shoot like Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan and Dennis Schröder. Sacramento would have a larger interest in the deal, should one arise. Westbrook is on a non-guaranteed minimum deal, DeRozan is only partially guaranteed for next season, and Schröder is only making mid-level money and has been a backup for much of his career. The players are not standing in the way of any changes.
In 2023, the Kings finally ended their playoff drought by pairing Domantas Sabonis with De’Aaron Fox. Morant might be able to replicate some of the formula. He could be their primary ball-handler. Morant’s salary is a big one, but there aren’t many teams that want to replace their primary ball handler with him. The only way he can justify it, regardless of any injuries or controversy, is by being someone’s ball-handler, and running a high level offense. He won’t do it in defense or as a shooter. The concept of trade value can be tricky. Only a small percentage of the value is determined by how “good” an individual player really is. The most intelligent teams are more nuanced in their approach to possible acquisitions. It’s not about the value per part, but the overall picture. The best version of Morant would have made him a focal point for many teams, and built the team around his strengths. It doesn’t appear that the version of Morant we see now is worth it. The Grizzlies would probably struggle to find a palatable deal if Morant was to become a good on ball scorer and not an elite driver whose gravitational pull generates easy shots for all. The Grizzlies already have their entire organization built around Morant. The Grizzlies see him as more valuable than most teams would. A player’s value as a trader to the league is greater than his value to his team. Morant’s apparent trade value is so low that the Grizzlies don’t believe it to be the case. Therefore, a trade will have to become more realistic.
2025-11-05 14:01:33
