One of the biggest trade deadline stories this year was the Grizzlies holding on to Ja Morant. Regardless of how the coming weeks play out, the Grizzlies must decide if they will trade Morant this summer or not. Morant suffered a left UCL sprain in the January 24 loss to the Atlanta Hawks and has still yet to appear in a game after the trade deadline.
Ja Morant has only appeared in 20 of the Grizzlies' 53 games and is set to finish this season with less than 50 total appearances. Morant's lack of availability in recent seasons has significantly limited the Grizzlies' ability to win more games. He has not appeared in over 60 games since the 2022-23 NBA season.
Morant has two more seasons left on his current deal, and the Grizzlies also previously attempted to trade him this past deadline. Given his significant missed time the last few seasons, he is simply not a logical extension candidate despite his star power in Memphis. The Grizzlies have no choice but to decide whether to trade him now or later in his deal rather than let him walk for nothing.
Will the Grizzlies actually move Morant this summer?
The Jaren Jackson Jr. trade was somewhat shocking given that his extension signed last offseason will not kick in until this summer. Given that the Grizzlies were struggling, the team felt it was time to go in a different direction and trade Jackson Jr. when his value was at its highest. An important fact to consider is that the Grizzlies had just won one playoff series in the years Morant and Jackson Jr. were together.
Could the Grizzlies have still tried to make it work with Morant and Jackson Jr.? Possibly. But it was likely that the Grizzlies holding onto both Morant and Jackson Jr. would've made it more unlikely to win a loaded Western Conference, even if they were consistently making the playoffs. If the Grizzlies are truly committed to a full rebuild, a Morant trade should materialize this summer.
While Morant performing at a high level would significantly boost Memphis, it is hard to rely on him being on the court enough. Morant was in his ramp-up process before the All-Star break and should likely return very soon for the Grizzlies. The coming weeks will be crucial, as Morant could boost some of his lost trade value with strong performances or make his remaining contract even less desirable for other teams.
Rumors of a Morant trade have been rampant for a while now, and this past deadline seemed the most likely a trade has ever been. However, Morant still remains on the team and will need to have a strong finish to the season. The Grizzlies face an important choice of trading him now or trying to make it work around a further developed Cedric Coward and Zach Edey.