The Grizzlies have just four more regular season games before entering one of their most pivotal offseasons in franchise history. The talk has been constant for weeks, but the Ja Morant trade saga will heat up once again. This time, a shocking Ja Morant trade scenario could potentially end up unfolding this summer.
Doc Rivers is very likely nearing the end of his time in Milwaukee as momentum is growing for him and the organization to either part ways or do a job restructuring according to Marc Stein (subscription required). Stein also mentioned a possible replacement that Grizzlies fans are well familiar with. He wrote the following:
"Former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, who worked for a season as a Bucks assistant to Mike Budenholzer in 2018-19 before Memphis gave him his head coaching shot, has already emerged as a likely prime candidate in Brewtown if the Bucks indeed end up launching a coaching search."
Despite a difficult ending to his tenure in Memphis last season, Taylor Jenkins still remains a very solid developmental coach. Unfortunately, he did not show the signs of being a championship-level coach in Memphis. It will be interesting to see if he can continue evolving as a coach if he lands the job in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee hiring Jenkins could impact Morant's future
Ja Morant's long-term future in Memphis is in doubt, but his trade value is also the lowest it has been. It will be interesting to see the suitors for him this summer; however, Milwaukee is starting to look like more of a plausible option. Weeks ago, Jake Fischer already wrote that a scenario that has to be filed away is the prospect of the Bucks trading for Ja Morant (subscription required).
Trading for Ja Morant can make sense for the Bucks in a couple ways. Either the Bucks can have a new big name to be the face of the franchise if Giannis Antetokounmpo is moved. Or the Bucks could even explore the idea of pairing Morant and Antetokounmpo together.
Hiring Taylor Jenkins could add to the likelihood that the Bucks try to reunite Morant with Jenkins over the summer. While the Grizzlies have little to no leverage at all in a potential Morant trade, the Bucks could potentially give them a better return than anticipated. A lot can happen between now and this summer, but the Bucks could become a very real landing spot for Morant if Jenkins were to be hired.
Given how poorly the Grizzlies' season ended last year and the fact that Taylor Jenkins got fired 9 games before the playoffs, it would be pretty shocking to see Morant and Jenkins reunite so soon.
This is simply a crucial offseason for the Grizzlies considering the fact they went from promising a few years ago to rebuilding again. The biggest domino of this summer for the team is whether or not Ja Morant ends up getting traded despite his current market. Given the buzz linking Taylor Jenkins to the Bucks, Milwaukee should definitely be viewed as a potential destination if Morant gets dealt.