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Ja Morant has expressed his unhappiness playing for the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Memphis Grizzlies are trying to figure out their future as they battle through a difficult season. Early struggles for Ja Morant mounted with poor play on the court seeing his numbers decline and locker room issues leading to a controversial suspension. Morant is currently injured and is expected to return to the Grizzlies lineup sooner than later.
However, Memphis must decide if Morant remains a key part of their future or not. Jake Fischer reported on Marc Stein’s Substack that the Miami Heat are having internal discussions about potentially sending a trade offer to the Grizzlies for Morant to become their next franchise point guard.
Fischer reported the following:
“Miami was already shaping into a surprising buyer on this trade market even before this week’s Giannis headlines. League sources say that the Heat, for example, have had internal discussions about Memphis’ Ja Morant and how Miami’s infrastructure could benefit him.”
Morant’s poor season doesn’t erase his positives from previous years. The Grizzlies have typically won at a high percentage and overachieved every season when Morant was healthy on the court. Injuries and suspensions have harmed his reputation, but his talent level will always tempt opposing teams.
Does Ja Morant Want A Trade?
Neither the Grizzlies nor Morant have confirmed that the superstar will be on the trade block this season. However, negative stories continuously coming out in the first month of the season showed the friction between both sides. Morant even went as far as publicly saying he’s no longer playing with the same joy he’s used to in the current situation.
Memphis confirmed their displeasure by suspending Morant for a game after he both publicly and privately called out the coaching staff. Recent years have shown the Grizzlies investing more in Jaren Jackson than Morant as a franchise player to build the franchise around.
Last offseason also featured Desmond Bane getting traded to the Orlando Magic to show the franchise didn’t believe in contending with this core. The trends of both Morant’s unhappiness and Memphis appearing ready to make moves could see the deal coming by this season’s deadline.
Miami’s Trade Offer For Ja Morant
The biggest variable in this potential deal is figuring out what exactly the Heat can offer for Morant. Top prospect Kel’el Ware is considered a name that Miami would give up for a superstar of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s level, but it is hard to see them parting ways for Morant with his value lower than ever.
Tyler Herro may be the sacrificed player since he’s been getting used to playing with the ball and the Heat actually looked much better this season before his return. Davion Mitchell is a solid replacement point guard option for Memphis and young enough to feel like he’s part of the new youth movement plan.
Other players like Andrew Wiggins and Kasparas Jakucionis could enter discussions since Miami has expendable talent. Bam Adebayo is the one name that the Heat wouldn’t even consider putting in a package for Morant or most other stars. Time will tell if the Grizzlies give up on Morant and if the Heat are confident enough to send an enticing offer.
Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford
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