The Toronto Raptors are a team to watch as a buyer in the trade market as they continue to establish themselves as one of the best squads in the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors could make a bold trade before February to ensure their spot amongst the best teams in the East. That’s why Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley suggests a trade that would send Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant to the Raptors for point guard Immanuel Quickley, shooting guard Gradey Dick, a 2026 second-round pick (via LAL) and a 2028 first-round pick (top-three protected).
“Between Morant’s ongoing issues with availability, and his sagging stat line—career lows in field-goal and three-point percentages; career-high in turnovers—most would-be suitors might simply stay away. A select few, though, might sense there is bargain potential here for one of the league’s most obvious scenery-change candidates,” Buckley wrote.
“The Raptors have exceeded expectations so far, but they might still be one star short of cracking the contender ranks. While Morant hasn’t worn that label in a while, he’s still just 26 years old and coming off a four-season stretch in which he averaged 25.7 points on 47.2 percent shooting and 7.4 assists. If the Raptors could help bring out his best—their coach, Darko Rajaković, was an assistant in Memphis during Morant’s best seasons—they could add a legitimate difference-maker for relatively cheap.”
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant dribbles the ball in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers. | David Richard-Imagn Images
Raptors could make Ja Morant trade
A trade for Morant is tricky because it puts the Raptors in a spot to where they don’t have much wiggle room beyond him. However, Morant could be the missing piece the Raptors need in order to get over the hump.
That being said, the Raptors are still very early in the season and there’s still reason to believe that the current core could make a run in the playoffs this year. With it being the first year since acquiring Brandon Ingram that has the Raptors in the playoff picture, the team might want to see how far it goes before making another major trade.
An upgrade at the point guard position could be the solution to get the Raptors ahead, but that could come with a lot of risk especially during the regular season, so a trade probably isn’t likely between Toronto and Memphis for Morant at this time.
The Raptors are back in action against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.