{"id":741877,"date":"2026-05-23T11:57:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T11:57:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/741877\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T11:57:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T11:57:32","slug":"timberwolves-linked-to-ja-morant-but-star-guard-still-focused-on-grizzlies-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/741877\/","title":{"rendered":"Timberwolves Linked To Ja Morant, But Star Guard Still Focused On Grizzlies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fresh off a second-round defeat to the San Antonio Spurs<\/a>, young guard Anthony Edwards<\/a> and the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> are on the hunt for stars. Specifically, with a vacancy in the backcourt, the Wolves are known to be looking for a point guard, and a few names have already come to the surface.<\/p>\n

One such name is Ja Morant<\/a> of the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a>, who has surfaced in several trade rumors of late. Now, as Memphis seeks a deal for the two-time All-Star, the Timberwolves have taken a vested interest. Unfortunately for them, however, the feeling is not mutual.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Timberwolves are aggressively searching for an elite, veteran point guard to pair with franchise cornerstone Anthony Edwards,\u201d reported Brandon \u2018Scoop B\u2019 Robinson<\/a>. \u201cWhile many league insiders suggested Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant was the target, sources close to Morant have repeatedly shut that down, reiterating his commitment to Memphis.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Timberwolves came close to a breakthrough, reaching the Conference Finals two straight years before their elimination in the West Semis in 2026<\/a>. Mostly, their success has been due to Edwards, who has stepped up as their leader both on and off the court. In 2025-26, he averaged 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game on 48.9% shooting and 39.9% shooting from three.<\/p>\n

But in the wake of their latest defeat, Edwards is pushing for change. More than anything, he desires a partnership with Kyrie Irving,<\/a> often described as one of the greatest scorers and ball handlers of the modern NBA. Beyond his physical skills, he brings championship experience and a certain competitive mindset that appeals to Edwards. Unfortunately for Ant, Irving\u2019s availability isn\u2019t entirely certain right now, which is why Ja Morant stands out as a viable alternative.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old star has a similar motor and drive as Ant, as well as a ferocious attack that often overwhelms opponents. Drafted second overall in 2019, he emerged as an elite rising guard in 2021-22, when he made his first All-Star team with averages of 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game on 49.3% shooting from the field and 34.4% shooting from three. Alongside Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Joan Beringer<\/a>, Ja could thrive in Minnesota and help bring the franchise to the highest level of contention (at least, in theory).<\/p>\n

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The problem is, Morant is still committed to the Grizzlies. Despite drama and chaos in the locker room, to go with years of mediocrity on the court, Ja isn\u2019t ready to abandon his mission in Memphis. He wants to restore what he had there and make up for some of his past mistakes. Following Taylor Jenkins\u2019s firing<\/a>, Ja believes there is a path to peace with the Grizzlies, and they\u2019re obliged to see it through.<\/p>\n

But if things don\u2019t work out, we can expect the Timberwolves to be among the most aggressive suitors for Morant. Being so close to a title run already, adding someone like him to the fold would only enhance their title odds and strengthen their standing with Edwards, who wants to win at any cost.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fresh off a second-round defeat to the San Antonio Spurs, young guard Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":741878,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3795],"tags":[91569,375,7,294,178,377,151,967,293,177,4070,152,6,474],"class_list":["post-741877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-memphis-grizzlies","tag-alongside-edwards","tag-anthony-edwards","tag-basketball","tag-grizzlies","tag-ja-morant","tag-jaden-mcdaniels","tag-joan-beringer","tag-kyrie-irving","tag-memphis","tag-memphis-grizzlies","tag-memphisgrizzlies","tag-minnesota-timberwolves","tag-nba","tag-san-antonio-spurs"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116623772425811988","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=741877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/741878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=741877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=741877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=741877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}