Ja Morant's future with the Memphis Grizzlies is up in the air. A one-game suspension earlier this year sparked trade rumors that haven't gone away despite his current calf injury. Eagle-eyed NBA fans were quick to point out that Morant may miss just enough time to take him to December 15, which is when trades get a whole lot easier in the NBA.
Who doesn't love a good conspiracy?
Whether or not Morant is traded remains to be seen. One thing is for certain, though: if former Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison was running the team, Morant would have been traded yesterday.
Harrison traded Luka Doncic for reasons that still don't make sense, leading to his eventual dismissal. It's hard to imagine Harrison ever getting a front-office job in the league again, but it's not hard to imagine what kind of ludicrous trades he would dream up if he were spearheading this Morant conundrum.
Bad Ja Morant trades Nico Harrison would probably consider as Grizzlies GM:
Trade 1: Let's swap our controversy for yours!
Would any GM really swap a young franchise point guard, even with their fair share of issues, for an injury-prone former Champion in his mid-30s who is still embroiled in a controversy about receiving funds from a charity backed by his owner?
It's Nico Harrison we're talking about. Of course someone would be willing to do that.
We can already see the hypothetical selling point. At his best, Leonard is still one of the most talented players in the NBA. His defensive presence, paired with Jaren Jackson Jr, would fluster every team the Grizzlies came across.
All this would accomplish is swapping Morant's unavailability for Leonard's lack of durability. But hey, the Grizzlies would be flipping a three-year commitment to Morant into a two-year commitment with Leonard, so at least there is that positive!
Memphis would never... but Harrison just might.
Trade 2: Wait, we can get Jrue Holiday AND a pick? Sold!
This trade literally has Harrison written all over it. Memphis would receive a well-respected veteran who was just a valuable member of a title-winning team, a throwaway contract via Matisse Thybulle, and a future first-round pick from a franchise the Grizzlies are already invested in.
If the former Mavericks GM is reading this he might just be salivating.
In reality, this package would be awful for the Grizzlies. Holiday is past his prime and he only works if he is the third or fourth-best player on a contending team. If he's your second-best player, you probably aren't going anywhere.
That Orlando pick isn't nearly worth enough to justify trading Morant, but don't tell Harrison that. After all, the Grizzlies are already invested in the Magic's future after trading Desmond Bane for a haul of draft picks. Knowing that, if Harrison were the GM, he'd probably jump at this deal.
Trade 3: Taking this exercise literally
I mean, c'mon, you had to know this was coming. We can definitely say Harrison would make a trade of this caliber because, well, he already has. Swapping a young talent for an older player with injury concerns is right up Harrison's alley!
Memphis would do exactly what the Mavericks did in that initial Luka trade: swap a young franchise player for someone who, on paper, can lead this current team to contention if absolutely everything went right. But just like Dallas, this would shorten the Grizzlies' window to as long as Kyrie is relevant, and wouldn't bring the draft-pick return warranted for trading Morant.
Harrison thought Luka was out of shape and was the only person on the planet who didn't seem to think he was a franchise player. If he were the Grizzlies' GM, based on what has happened with Morant thus far, he'd probably feel the same way.
And hey, maybe it would lead the Grizzlies to shock the world and win an NBA Draft lottery they had no business winning in the first place.