ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Friday that the Grizzlies are listening to trade offers for Ja Morant, but also said the team is open to keeping him on the roster past the February 5 deadline. John Hollinger of The Athletic, a former high-ranking Grizzlies executive, confirms the team is fielding offers for Morant but is dubious Memphis will retain the 26-year-old beyond Feb. 5.
As Hollinger observes, it’s rare for a team to publicly advertise it’s open to moving one of its top players unless the club already intends to move him. Just a few days after the Hawks were said to be working on a trade with Trae Young, they ended up sending him to Washington. It’s quite possible Memphis already has a deal lined up for Morant and is waiting to see if anyone will top it, according to Hollinger.
Hollinger confirms the Kings and Timberwolves are unlikely to pursue Morant, describing their interest as “lukewarm at best.” While he admits it’s informed speculation, Hollinger points to the Raptors (Immanuel Quickley and other assets) as a team that might be a fit, and calls the Nets a potential “deep dark horse” suitor.
A league source tells The Athletic that Michael Porter Jr. is a “lock” to be traded by Brooklyn ahead of the deadline, with Hollinger suggesting three-team frameworks that send Porter to either the Raptors, Heat or Bucks, Morant to the Nets, and various assets to the Grizzlies.
Here are several more rumors related to Morant:
- There’s a sense around the league that the Grizzlies might be able to get more value for Morant than the Hawks did for Young, according to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. That could require Memphis to take on long-term money in return, but the team seems more willing to go that route than Atlanta was.
- Still, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) hears the Grizzlies don’t have unrealistic expectations about a potential return package. Fischer confirms they’re looking for young players and draft assets, but says Memphis isn’t expecting anything close to what it received for Desmond Bane over the offseason.
- According to Fischer, while Morant may have never formally requested a trade, it seems both sides were in agreement about seeking a change of scenery. Fischer also hears the Grizzlies want to build around Jaren Jackson Jr., but says that won’t stop opposing teams from calling about his availability and trying to determine through back channels whether the former Defensive Player of the Year is open to a possible exit. Hollinger has heard similar rumblings about Jackson, with Fischer wondering if the Raptors or Hawks might pivot to a pursuit of the 26-year-old big man in the wake of Anthony Davis‘ hand injury.
- Although there were some suggestions early in the season about a potential Morant-LaMelo Ball trade between the Grizzlies and Hornets, that scenario appears unlikely now, Fischer writes.
- The Raptors offered Quickley and unspecified draft compensation to the Hawks for Young prior to last year’s deadline, sources tell Fischer, and maintained a level of interest in the four-time All-Star in 2025/26. The Hawks weren’t interested in taking on Quickley’s contract, as they were instead focused on financial flexibility, but perhaps Memphis would feel differently.
- The Heat have had internal discussions about pursuing Morant, Fischer reports. Morant didn’t like playing under the Noah LaRoche‘s offensive system last season with Memphis, Fischer notes, but Miami has a history of expressing interest in star players regardless of their injury or off-court histories.
- Both Hollinger and Vecenie are skeptical about the Bucks pursuing Morant, but the possibility can’t be ruled out entirely. “They’ve thought about everyone,” one rival executive told Fischer.