The Ja Morant era in Memphis has come to an end after seven seasons. The Grizzlies are sending Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. After being put on the trade block back in January, a deal finally came to fruition, and the Grizzlies have shifted the focus to a new core featuring Cam Boozer, Zach Edey, and Cedric Coward.
Ja Morant was selected second overall in the 2019 NBA Draft and made two All-Star appearances and landed on the All-NBA Second Team in 2022. Morant is one of the most talented players to put on a Grizzlies jersey and was a driving force that made the Next Gen Era so exciting alongside Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr.
This is one of the biggest moments in franchise history since the Grizzlies just selected Cam Boozer third overall in this year's draft and have fully committed to a new direction. While Ja Morant still remains very talented, injuries and a decline in offensive efficiency the last few seasons led to this moment materializing today.
Time will tell if this is the right decision or not
Understandably, given the fact that Ja Morant is still just 26 years old and is an electric player at his peak, this trade will likely be controversial within the Memphis fanbase. This draft was a strong one on paper for the Grizzlies, and it would've been intriguing to see Morant play with multiple new pieces that fit him extremely well. But that will not end up being the case as he heads to Portland.
On the flip side, Morant had two years and $87 million remaining on his current deal and had only appeared in 79 of a possible 246 regular season games the last three seasons. Morant played in just 20 games this season and averaged 19.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 8.1 assists in 28.5 minutes per contest.
Unfortunately, his efficiency took a hit, as he shot 41% from the field and just 23.5% from three. Even though there was a struggle to identify Morant's trade market and fears that the Grizzlies would have to attach draft capital, it is a win for the team to not have attached any picks.
Jerami Grant has been in the NBA since 2014 and became a member of the Portland Trail Blazers back in 2022. Grant brings a veteran presence and is another capable scoring option, as he came off a season averaging 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 57 games.
Kris Murray was a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, a draft class that also featured current Grizzlies GG Jackson II and Taylor Hendricks. Murray averaged 5.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 57 games this season while making 15 starts for the Trail Blazers.
Whether the decision to trade Ja Morant ends up being the correct one or not, this is an enormous day in franchise history and is a decision that is likely to be unpopular amongst the fanbase. For now, the Grizzlies enter an exciting new era featuring the third overall pick, Cam Boozer.
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