Grizzlies fans have lots to celebrate after landing the 3rd overall pick in this year's draft. It has been a challenging few seasons, but today's draft lottery outcome is a clear step towards the franchise returning to playoff basketball. There is a lot to unpack; however, the answer to one offseason question just got clearer: A Ja Morant trade this summer is simply inevitable.
It was 7 years ago when the Grizzlies got good draft lottery fortune and landed the 2nd overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, which was used on Ja Morant. Morant burst onto the scene early and transformed the franchise on and off the court. The Grizzlies had a big-name superstar in Ja Morant, who was electric attacking the rim and unafraid of the clutch.
The early signs looked like Ja Morant could potentially lead a promising core alongside Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, and Dillon Brooks to the first championship in franchise history. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies trended in the opposite direction, and that promising core is about to be no more.
A Ja Morant trade will almost certainly happen this summer
Before today's outcome, the Grizzlies had already made Ja Morant available for a trade back in January. Given his limited market at the time, Morant remained with the team at the trade deadline despite trading Jaren Jackson Jr. Even though he likely won't fetch as big of a haul as for Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., Morant should have more teams interested in him this summer.
Given the offensive decline and recent injury history, there were already plenty of reasons to justify a Morant trade. Now, the decision to trade him got even easier considering the Grizzlies can find a new franchise cornerstone with the 3rd overall pick this summer. With two years and $87 million remaining on Morant's deal, it is the perfect time to fully pivot towards a new core in Memphis.
While many fans would like to see the franchise and Morant continue together, it is looking like the relationship cannot be fixed. Morant still remains incredibly talented, but it is simply hard to justify extending him past his current deal, given his lack of availability and significant decline in offensive efficiency.
The Ja Morant era started great but will end in disappointment
It wasn't long ago that Ja Morant won Rookie of the Year and made two All-Star appearances. After a strong 2021-22 season that saw Morant land on the All-NBA Second Team, it felt like the start of a great run. The hope was for Morant to keep evolving his game and the Grizzlies to have significant postseason success. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies could not win another playoff series for a multitude of reasons, and Morant has also declined since.
The blame should not just be on Ja Morant for the Grizzlies' Next Gen Era not living up to expectations due to injuries and questionable roster construction. But one thing can also be true: Ja Morant's career did not evolve as much as many fans expected.
The Grizzlies landing the 3rd overall pick in this year's NBA Draft made one crucial offseason decision even easier. Ja Morant will almost certainly get traded this summer following today's draft lottery outcome.
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