Ja Morant is back in the trade-discussion bloodstream. But Memphis is not putting him on the block.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line wrote that while plenty of people around the league believe Morant has shifted into “trade mode,” there has been nothing credible from the Grizzlies’ side to suggest they would even entertain it. Not yet.
This is where the disconnect sits. Around the NBA, execs and coaches have started quietly poking at the question. On ESPN’s Hoop Collective podcast, Tim Bontemps said he does not believe there would be a “robust” market for Morant.
Marc Spears added that multiple GMs told him they had little interest, even last summer when Memphis quietly made everyone available. One current coach told Spears, “I’m not sure I’d want to coach him.”
The hesitations are not complicated. Morant is owed max money for three more seasons. He has already been suspended for 34 games. His injury history is real. His numbers are not ballooning upward. And the league’s valuation has shifted.
Teams want big wings who scale. Small guards who need the ball are not driving bidding wars.
Minnesota and Sacramento are monitoring the situation, as we noted earlier. But no serious traction has surfaced.
For now, Morant still holds more value in Memphis than he does on the open market.
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