Ja Morant
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Ja Morant has a little bit of interest on the trade market.
The trade rumors for Ja Morant continue to circulate with multiple teams interested in acquiring him from the Memphis Grizzlies. Morant and Memphis both seem ready to end their partnership and give the former All-Star a chance at a fresh start. Multiple teams have shown interest, but the Miami Heat remain a popular choice to improve their roster.
NBA insider Zach Lowe discussed the Heat’s trade offer for Morant likely being weaker than what most expect:
“Miami has been the hot team. I saw some fake trade where it was like Wiggins + Jaquez + 2 first round picks, and I was like ‘what are you smoking?’ The Miami trade is more like Herro and dead money and not much more than that. I think some team will trade something real for him eventually. It’s the ultimate ‘buy low’ thing.”
The comment from Lowe makes two major points that put a better perspective on Morant’s value. Rumors of Miami sending both Andrew Wiggins and Jaime Jaquez, along with first round picks, seem unrealistic now. Lowe also believes the Heat would rather send Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier’s dead money back as the main contracts. Memphis would have to settle for a weak deal to pull the trigger on this move.
Other Teams Desire Adding Ja Morant
Lowe’s show also featured him sharing that he doesn’t sense huge interest from Miami, but they’d love to take advantage of a weak market to add a bigger star talent. Other teams are reported to have real interest in adding Morant to either improve their chances of contending this season or setting up a future with a new franchise player.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets have all been reported to have varying levels of interest in making a move for Morant. Previous success showed that he could lead a team to strong regular seasons and playoff appearances make Morant a tempting figure on the trade block.
Morant could help teams like Minnesota and Milwaukee hoping to have a better chance at playoff success this season. However, Brooklyn shows that even rebuilding teams could take a gamble on making him their next star to rebuild a younger roster around.
Could Miami Still Land Ja Morant?
Miami could get away with making Herro the main player they trade for Morant, but first round draft picks would clearly have to be involved. Even with Memphis likely accepting that Morant’s trade value is lower than past seasons, they’ll only move him to get a couple of strong assets.
Pat Riley has tried to add many top NBA stars over the past several years, but Jimmy Butler is the only one he was able to secure. The Heat managed to make two NBA Finals in the Butler era. However, the inability to add more star talent had them fall just short of a title.
Miami trading away Butler last season now sees them once again trying to find the next star. Lowe even acknowledged that “bluffing” is always a strategy and the Heat may improve their offer closer to the deadline. The current trade offer of Herro and Rozier likely is not enough to get Morant under any circumstances.