Grizzlies Trading Ja Morant To Trail Blazers

Morant will join an increasingly crowded backcourt in Portland that also features Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson and Damian Lillard at point guard. It’s worth noting that the Trail Blazers have been heavily connected to Jaylen Brown as well as other potential trade targets like Aaron Gordon, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see further moves from the team.

On the other hand, Grant was always viewed as the Blazer most likely to be included in a trade that included significant outgoing salary. Of the three incumbent lead guards, Holiday ($34.8MM) is the only one who makes more than $14MM next season.

Shaedon Sharpe, who’s entering the first season of a four-year, $90MM rookie scale extension, has been cited as a trade candidate along with Henderson ($13.6MM). Franchise icon Lillard has a full no-trade clause.

According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), the Blazers envision a starting backcourt of Lillard and Morant, with All-Star swingman Deni Avdija at small forward. Lillard and Morant have been primary offensive initiators their entire careers.

As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes (via Twitter), Morant has a 15% trade kicker that would be voided if the deal is finalized either on Monday or Tuesday. If the two teams wait until after the moratorium period on July 6, Morant would earn an additional $13MM over the next two years, increasing his 2026/27 salary from $42.2MM to $48.7MM. The 26-year-old is currently owed $44.9MM in ’27/28 ahead of 2028 free agency.

The trade would be legal either way, as Grant ($34.2MM) and Murray ($5.3MM) make enough money to match Morant’s salary. The Trail Blazers will be hard-capped at the first tax apron by taking in more money than they send out.

As evidenced by the return package, Morant’s contract wasn’t viewed favorably around the league after a series of off-court incidents and injuries (shoulder, ankle, calf, elbow) derailed his career. Still, the Grizzlies didn’t have to part with any assets to move him. Morant has only made 79 appearances over the last three seasons, including just 20 in ’25/26.

Morant’s production has fallen off in recent years as well. The two-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA member averaged 19.5 points, 8.1 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 28.5 minutes per game last season, with a shooting line of .410/.235/.897.

Grant, 32, had a bounce-back year in ’25/26, averaging 18.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 2.1 APG on .453/.389/.814 shooting in 57 games (29.7 MPG). While he’s never been a great rebounder for a forward and his defense isn’t close to what it once was, he’s capable of creating his own shot and is much lower maintenance than Morant, who had a run-in with Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo at the start of last season, which resulted in a team-issued one-game suspension.

Grant holds a $36.4MM player option for ’27/28. He seems unlikely to be in Memphis’ long-term plans after the team drafted Cedric Coward, Cameron Boozer and Karim Lopez the past two years. The Grizzlies also have Taylor Hendricks, Jaylen Wells, Santi Aldama, Olivier-Maxence Prosper and GG Jackson at forward, though Coward and Wells are capable of playing shooting guard too.

Murray, meanwhile, has played a relatively modest role in Portland over the past three seasons after being selected 23rd overall in the 2023 draft. He’s entering the final year of his rookie scale contract and will be eligible for restricted free agency next summer if he doesn’t sign an extension this summer, which seems highly unlikely.

Although it’s a disappointing ending to his tenure, it’s clear Memphis was motivated to move on from Morant as the team embarks on a roster reset. The Grizzlies have been active this offseason, making multiple trades during the draft, including acquiring Isaiah Stewart from Detroit for three second-round picks. Stewart will join an imposing center rotation that also features Zach Edey, who appeared to be on the verge of a breakout second season before another ankle injury cut his ’25/26 campaign short.