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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Ja Morant has been one of the hottest names on the trade market for months. Almost everybody is expecting a deal to get done, and that it's only a matter of time before the Memphis Grizzlies move on from their star player.
The Grizzlies have reportedly been trying to move Morant as far back as February. And this week, they've made it clear they're building around a younger core. After trading away Desmond Bane last offseason and trading Jaren Jackson Jr. at the trade deadline, Memphis drafted Duke's star freshman Cameron Boozer third overall and paired him with exciting incoming rookie Karim Lopez.
Ja Morant doesn't fit the organization's vision of getting younger. The issue is that nobody seems ready to pull the trigger just yet.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves, widely floated as one of the top suitors, just traded for LaMelo Ball, so they're almost certainly out of it. Other franchises have been linked to the two-time All-Star, but ESPN's Brian Windhorst just revealed the one obstacle that's still standing in the way of any deal, Morant's contract.
"Ja Morant, flagrantly available. Like, couldn't be more available. The thing about Ja (is) if he had one year on his contract, I think he would have been traded months ago, because that is a reasonable risk. You know, he is super motivated to have a big-time year. But he's got two years on his contract. And so if you trade from it doesn't work out, you're left with an unpalatable amount of risk," Windhorst said.
"They are highly motivated to trade him. But the two years on the contract make it very difficult because I don't think a team is going to give value. I think a team is going to want to receive value to take on that risk. I don't know how it's going to work out. But I just can't see him playing for the Grizzlies again," he added.
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Morant is owed $42.2 million for the 2026-27 season and $44.9 million for 2027-28. That's more than $87 million over two years for a player that's played just 79 games over the last three.
This past season, he appeared in just 20 games due to injuries and suspensions. In those 20 games, he averaged 19.5 points, 8.1 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game, but shot a career-low 41% from the field and 23.5% from 3-point range. At 26 years old, there's clearly still upside, but also risk attached to the $87 million he's owed in guaranteed money.
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The Grizzlies are already eyeing a future built around Boozer, Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells, and Zach Edey. So the urgency to trade Morant is only going to grow. The trick now is finding a team willing (or desperate) enough to take the risks that come with it.
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