Grizzlies' Ja Morant still has one team interested in trading for him

Ja Morant may be down to his final interested trade suitor.

The Brooklyn Nets are one of the last teams “truly interested” in potentially trading for the Memphis Grizzlies star guard Morant, Grizzlies beat writer Chris Dodson of ClutchPoints reported on Monday. Dodson adds that Brooklyn has the salary and the picks to make such a move happen and could be motivated by a desire to steal some of the spotlight away from the local rival New York Knicks.

Morant, the two-time NBA All-Star, was an extremely hot trade candidate earlier this month. That came in the midst of reports claiming that Morant has had problems with his teammates in Memphis and that he was possibly eyeing a move to one particular team.

But interest in Morant seems to have cooled significantly over the last couple of weeks. That may be in part because Morant is hurt again (dealing with an elbow injury that will cost him the next three weeks) and because Memphis’ asking price for him is said to be a bit high.

When it comes to the Nets though, they have one of the few situations that might actually be conducive to a Morant trade. At a putrid 12-32, Brooklyn is once again bottoming out this season. They also have the lowest payroll in the NBA this year and own a treasure chest of future draft capital thanks to their blockbuster trades of Kevin Durant (in 2023) and Mikal Bridges (in 2024).

Morant, who is in Year 3 of a five-year, $197.2 million contract, recently hinted that he would be perfectly content with staying in Memphis. But if the Nets view the 26-year-old Morant as a potential foundational piece who could drum up renewed interest in their franchise, they would certainly have the means to make such a trade happen.