The biggest offseason storyline for the Grizzlies outside of the NBA Draft is whether or not Ja Morant is in Memphis next season. While the answer is that a trade seems inevitable, the bigger question is how strong will Morant's market truly be? If the latest development on Kyrie Irving's Dallas future is any indicator, there could be a strong shift in Ja Morant's trade market.
A return similar to the Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane trades can effectively be ruled out. However, the Grizzlies could potentially have more interested teams in Morant's services. Marc Stein gave new trade intel throughout the league (subscription required), and his latest update on Kyrie Irving could directly impact the Ja Morant sweepstakes.
What could Kyrie Irving's Dallas future mean for the Grizzlies?
Even though the Mavericks have been receiving offers for Irving, Stein wrote, "Sources tell The Stein Line that the Mavericks, thus far this offseason, have been messaging to teams that Irving is not available." Detroit and Minnesota were also named as teams that are currently interested in acquiring Kyrie Irving this offseason.
One thing that has truly stood out from this year's NBA Playoffs is that teams can never have too many ball handlers. It can also be argued that multiple teams that exited the playoffs early this year, such as the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons, truly suffered from not having enough reliable ball handlers.
Even though Ja Morant has struggled with injuries and shown some decline in offensive efficiency, it is easy to understand why a team in the playoff hunt would be interesting in pursuing him this summer. Morant remains an incredible playmaker and is still capable of being a dangerous scorer in the clutch.
The Grizzlies could have more teams interested in Morant
Minnesota has already been previously linked to Ja Morant, but Stein's latest intel could pave the way for a team such as Detroit to have more interest in him. Teams such as the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks will also likely continue being linked to Morant as the 2026 NBA Draft and offseason fast approach.
The Mavs' stance on Kyrie Irving could be a good development for a Grizzlies team hoping to avoid attaching draft capital in any Morant trade package this summer. Ja Morant is still very talented, but it would be surprising to see him still on the Grizzlies roster heading into next season.
With a trade likely inching closer, the Mavs holding onto Kyrie Irving in the early stages of the offseason could potentially pave the way to the Grizzlies getting a better return than originally expected. It is increasingly likely that a Ja Morant trade is one of the first dominoes to fall in what should be a franchise-defining offseason for the Grizzlies.
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