To be clear, Ja Morant will likely not fetch a strong return for the Grizzlies regardless of who they trade him to. With the playoffs being a useful tool to shape Ja Morant's trade market this summer, another surprise suitor could be in play now, the Phoenix Suns. There is some logic to pairing a struggling Devin Booker with a true point guard like Ja Morant.
This year's NBA playoffs are showing the importance of teams having a proper floor general that can create scoring chances for others. Even though the Suns' trio of Jalen Green, Devin Booker, and Dillon Brooks are all capable scorers, none of them are pure point guards. Along with his heavy scoring burden, Devin Booker has had to take on more of a playmaking role following Chris Paul's departure from the Suns back in 2023.
The truth is the Oklahoma City Thunder are a team loaded with defensive talent and a challenge for anyone. But besides the Suns needing more frontcourt size, the Suns' series with the Thunder has shown that the fit of Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and Devin Booker on the court at the same time is somewhat awkward.
Not having a proper floor general only adds to the difficulty of beating the defending champion Thunder. Injuries to key depth and the lack of a true floor general have also made it harder for the Suns to get more reliable scoring. It is simply difficult to ask for consistency from the Suns' top-scoring trio given how gifted the Thunder are defensively.
To make matters worse, Devin Booker has taken fewer shots than both players and is not showing the signs of the dominant #1 option he has typically been. Booker has battled some injuries and offensive inconsistency at times this season, but the Play-In Tournament and first round of the playoffs have been difficult for him to find an offensive rhythm.
Ja Morant to Phoenix could be an interesting fit
A great offensive boost for Devin Booker next season would be to give him a floor general and take some of the playmaking responsibility off of him. Enter Ja Morant. Morant has two years and $87 million left on his deal, which could prove to be an obstacle for the Grizzlies finding a trade partner this summer.
While Morant has shown some offensive inconsistency in recent seasons as well, he is still at his playmaking peak and could be a fit for the Suns. Devin Booker could benefit from having a playmaker of Morant's caliber, and Morant could potentially recover some scoring efficiency with a fresh start.
There have already been some links between Ja Morant and the Suns even before this playoff series. Year 1 with Jordan Ott has been a good bounce-back season for the Suns, but this offseason will be about taking another leap. Thinking of an exact trade package is somewhat difficult with how low Morant's trade value is currently, but the basketball fit could prove to be beneficial to Phoenix.
It will be interesting to monitor where Ja Morant could end up this summer, but add the Phoenix Suns as another team to watch in the sweepstakes.
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