The Atlanta Hawks just traded their star, in-his-prime point guard to Washington for an unimpressive return — no draft picks, no young players, mostly an expiring contract — because it was the only viable option. There was no meaningful trade market for Trae Young.
Now enter Ja Morant into the conversation.
The Memphis Grizzlies are, for the first time, “entertaining offers to potentially move two-time All-Star,” reports Shams Charania of ESPN. “Multiple teams are pursuing Morant in trade talks and rival executives believe the Grizzlies would prioritize draft picks and young players in return,”is the spin from Charania.
That kind of trade will be difficult to find. While there are front offices that like the potential of a Morant comeback story, not many teams are looking for a point guard, let alone a ball-dominant one who is a minus defender and on a max contract. Much as it was with Young, some teams will expect Memphis to add draft picks as sweeteners to the deal to get them to take on Monrant and his contract.
Morant, 26, will miss his fourth straight game Friday night due to a calf contusion, and he has missed 19 games already this season due to injuries and a one-game suspension for an incident with coach Tuomas Iisalo. A combination of injuries and suspensions — Morant comes with a lot of baggage — have kept him from playing in more than 65 games in any of the last seven seasons.
More concerning, when he has played this season, he has not looked as explosive as he once did when he was an All-Star and one of the most dynamic players in the league, scouts have told NBC Sports. Any flashes of that old Morant have been just that, flashes (although his injuries could have something to do with that). This season, he has averaged 19 points a game on 40.1% shooting (20.8% from 3-point range) and is dishing out 7.6 assists a night. He is a drive-and-dish player, not one who has ever spaced the floor with his shooting. And the fact that he is a target on defense is a serious issue in the modern NBA.
The biggest concern for teams may be the money. Morant is making $39.5 million this season, the third year of a five-year, $197 million max contract. He is guaranteed $87.1 million in the two seasons after this one. In the tax apron era, teams know they cannot miss on max contracts, and Morant is not everyone’s flavor of point guard — ball-dominant, someone others have to adjust to play around. Being a player who has to have the ball in his hands can work in today’s NBA if a player is Luka Dončić- or Jalen Brunson-level, but is Morant that player anymore?
How much would a team be willing to give up in a trade to find out? Enough to get a deal done at the deadline? There are teams willing to take a chance on Morant’s potential — a fresh start, get him healthy, and bet he can find his form again — but this is more about teams understanding the risk they are taking on, being willing to take a bit of a flier, not trading for a current star player. The return on that kind of trade may be less than the Grizzlies envision, much as it was with the Hawks when they dealt Young.
Morant joins Anthony Davis as the biggest names available at the trade deadline. Whether either of them finds a new home before Feb. 5 is up for debate, but they will generate a lot of headlines between now and then.