This is a prediction.
The Los Angeles Clippers‘ 2025–26 season has gone anything but according to plan. Sitting at 6–18 and in fourteenth place in the Western Conference, it is clear that this core needs to be broken up. Ivica Zubac, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden are all talented individual players, but injuries have derailed any chance of consistent success.
One of the most unique aspects of this Clippers roster is that only one player is under contract beyond 2027, which signals the level of flexibility the organization has moving forward.
Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies have opened the 2025–26 season in a way few expected. Instead of Ja Morant carrying them as the superstar focal point, they have relied heavily on their role players, resulting in an 11–13 record as of December ninth.
If both the Clippers and the Grizzlies want to reshape their franchises for long term improvement, this is the type of trade they need to make.
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Ja Morant to the Clippers: Potential Trade IdeaÂ
Clippers Receive: G Ja Morant & F John Konchar
Grizzlies Receive:Â F Kawhi Leonard
Why Ja Morant Fits With the Clippers
Ja Morant gives the Clippers something they have not had all season: an explosive downhill creator who can completely change the identity of their offense.
With Kawhi Leonard and James Harden struggling to stay healthy, the Clippers lack a consistent engine who can collapse defenses and manufacture easy buckets. Morant immediately solves that problem.
His ability to pressure the rim, push the pace, and create openings for shooters would give Los Angeles a different dynamic from the slow, half-court style that has defined the team during this disappointing start.
For a roster stuck at six wins, adding a player with Morant’s star power and energy could transform the team overnight.
Morant also fits perfectly alongside the flexible contract situation the Clippers now have. With nearly every major salary coming off the books over the next two years, the front office can build an entirely new roster around him.
The Clippers desperately need a new franchise face, and Morant is young enough and talented enough to take on that role immediately. His style of play would also mesh well with whatever supporting cast Los Angeles constructs in the coming seasons, whether they move forward with veterans or decide to invest in younger pieces.
What the Grizzlies Get in Return
For Memphis, moving Ja Morant is not about giving up but about reshaping the franchise into a more stable and sustainable structure. In return, the Grizzlies would acquire valuable assets that allow them to build around their emerging group of role players, who have kept the team afloat despite Morant’s inconsistent availability.
With the team sitting at 11–13 and finding ways to compete without heavy reliance on their star guard, this is the moment to maximize Morant’s value and bring in players who better complement the current roster’s growth.
The Clippers can offer a combination of expiring contracts, young players, and draft capital that would give Memphis both immediate flexibility and long term opportunity. Los Angeles is one of the few teams with significant financial room opening soon, which means Memphis could use the incoming assets to retool the roster quickly.
Instead of being tied to a timeline built entirely around Morant, the Grizzlies gain the chance to build a deeper, more cohesive roster centered on defense, shooting, and development.
How the Deal Shapes Each Teams Future
For the Clippers, this trade marks the start of a new era. Ja Morant instantly becomes the centerpiece of a franchise ready to move on from the Kawhi Leonard and James Harden experiment.
With so many contracts expiring over the next two seasons, Los Angeles can reshape its roster around a young, athletic point guard who is entering the prime of his career. Instead of clinging to a broken core, they would be building a modern, fast paced, Morant-driven system that gives them long term stability and a clear direction.
Memphis, meanwhile, would gain the flexibility needed to complete its identity shift. Moving Morant opens salary space, reduces long term injury and availability risks, and expands their collection of assets.
With more draft picks, more roster options, and more balance, the Grizzlies can build a deeper team that supports the defensive culture they have leaned on during this season’s unexpected start.
They are no longer dependent on a single superstar to determine their success, which makes them harder to scout, harder to defend, and more resilient across an eighty two game season.