Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant, who is having an All-Star caliber season and is the front-runner for the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year, went down with an apparent injury to his left knee early in the Nov. 26 game vs the Atlanta Hawks.
As of this writing, it’s unclear what the severity is of Morant’s injury—all we know is that the injury is somewhere within the left extremity, likely the lower left, according to ESPN.
The Grizzlies had a tough time adjusting against the Atlanta Hawks in the immediate aftermath of Morant’s injury.
So what happens now? What if Ja Morant is out for a lengthy period of time? Even if he turns out to be ok after this injury scare, what if it happens again on an even more serious level?
It’s hard to say what options would be on the table without knowing how long Morant could be out. Let’s assume, for this argument, what happens if he’s out several weeks or months.
Option 1: The Memphis Grizzlies could make a stop-gap trade to help fill Morant’s void and preserve their playoff/play-in chances
If Morant is going to miss several weeks or months, the team could look to find a trade partner that could bring in someone with scoring ability and great court vision.
One such candidate could be Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, who’s been playing his way back into the rotation after being injured and recovering for the past six months or so.
The Bulls have a guard-heavy rotation with Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu, and Zach LaVine. They’ve been playing great without him, maybe the Grizzlies could swoop in and make a trade offer for White.
Once Morant returns, he could be a great sixth man off the bench. Last season, White averaged a career-best 15.1 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game.
The Grizzlies would need to find someone to help shore up the huge scoring void Morant would leave if he’s out of commission.