Ja Morant linked to a new playoff contender in trade rumors

Ja Morant may be getting a lifeline from the ultimate reclamation project destination.

The Miami Heat have had internal discussions about potentially trading for the Memphis Grizzlies star Morant, veteran NBA writer Jake Fischer reported to Substack on Sunday. Fischer notes that the Heat have discussed how their infrastructure might potentially benefit the mercurial Morant.

With the Grizzlies struggling to tread water at 11-13 this season, trade rumors involving the two-time NBA All-Star Morant, 26, have been widely circulating for weeks now. While Morant has not played since mid-November due to a calf strain, he is said to be unhappy with the team’s leadership and even got suspended by the Grizzlies last month after a confrontation with head coach Tuomas Iisalo.

As for the 14-10 Heat, they are seventh in a wide-open Eastern Conference and sit just 2.5 games back of the No. 2 seed. Miami also has an unbalanced backcourt with no true point guard since Tyler Herro and Norman Powell are natural shooting guards and Davion Mitchell is more of a defense-first role player.

Meanwhile, the Heat have long been known for a heavy emphasis on discipline and conditioning. Dubbed “Heat Culture,” the Miami zeitgeist has helped the franchise turn numerous misfits or otherwise outcasted NBA players into thriving pieces on championship-caliber teams.

When it comes to trade assets, the Heat have a real plethora of talented young players to potentially offer to the Grizzlies as well, including Herro (25), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (24), Pelle Larsson (24), Nikola Jovic (22), Ke’lel Ware (21), and rookie Kasparas Jakucionis (19). While Memphis might be able to field some competitive offers from other playoff contenders as well, a Morant fit in Miami could make sense for a number of different reasons.