The Memphis Grizzlies' season has been over for less than a week, which is more than enough time for the general public to discuss future moves for the team. Most of the talk in the national eye has surrounded superstar point guard Ja Morant's availability in trade talks for the offseason.
Morant's potential availability was previously shut down by Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman in February, and all signs from the exit interviews point to the team making moves outside of their superstar player for improvement. However, the idea of trading Morant brings entertainment value to the national media while the local media pays it no mind.
With that said, a national publication just suggested a team that should trade for Morant, and it left many in the fanbase and outside puzzled.
CBS Reporter suggested Orlando Magic should trade for Ja
Let's examine a scenario where the Grizzlies' superstar is available in trade talks, and what would make sense for them. Despite his injury history, especially in big games, Morant is 25 years old and is the best player on the team. This means trading him would trigger a rebuild or should net back a franchise-caliber player.
CBS's Ashley Nicole Moss didn't take any of the above into account when suggesting the Orlando Magic should trade for Ja Morant. The projected lineup the CBS team showed a graphic for Morant in the Magic's lineup included their current starting point guard, Jalen Suggs, starting next to him at shooting guard.
Also, their best players, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, remained with the team in the starting lineup. While no formal suggestions of what a trade would look like were presented, it is highly unlikely the Grizzlies would entertain any trade to the Magic without one of the three players mentioned above.
The segment of the show focused solely on the Magic gaining Morant without acknowledging why the Grizzlies would make a deal. Also, the reasoning given for the Magic to attempt to trade for Morant didn't make sense in the grand scheme of things.
While gaining his playmaking and scoring ability makes sense from a talent standpoint, her mention of Orlando needing shooting lost traction because of Morant's struggles from the three-point line. The Magic shot 31.5% as a team from three this season (30th ranked), and Morant is a career 31.6% shooter from three, including shooting 30.9% this season.
Too much of what was said about a Morant and Orlando Magic union doesn't make sense for either team to seriously make that a reality.