Offseason trade proposal sends Ja Morant to Hawks, Trae Young to Grizzlies

April 8, 2025

One NBA analyst proposed that the Atlanta Hawks trade Trae Young to the Memphis Grizzlies for Ja Morant this offseason.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed the NBA trade idea.

“If Memphis’ late-season swoon leads to an early exit, maybe the same front office that fired its coach in the heat of a playoff race would consider swapping star guards with another stalled franchise,” Buckley wrote. “The Grizzlies would obviously prefer Young’s durability, but they might also view his top-shelf table-setting and deep shooting range as on-court upgrades over Morant’s downhill attacking.”

Young is averaging 24.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 11.6 assists for the Hawks this season while shooting 40.9% from the field, 33.7% from beyond the arc and 87.7% from the free-throw line. The four-time All-Star will make $45,999,660 next season. He has a player option worth $48,967,380 for the 2026-27 season.

“Atlanta hasn’t won a playoff series since crashing the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals,” Buckley wrote. “They could sense things are growing stale with Young, whom they’ve tasked with the lowest usage percentage since his rookie season. A healthy Morant can be a game-changer, and he’s never had as much turnover trouble or as many defensive shortcomings as Young.”

Morant is averaging 22.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.3 assists for the Grizzlies this season while shooting 45.5% overall, 30.3% from 3 and 82.8% from the foul line. The two-time All-Star will make $39,446,090 next season, $42,166,510 in 2026-27 and $44,886,930 in 2027-28, the final year of his contract.

Young led the Hawks to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals. He has career averages of 25.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 9.8 assists.

Morant has only won one postseason series with the Grizzlies. He has career averages of 22.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.4 assists.

“Does he sell tickets? Yes,” the rival GM told ESPN. “Is he a top-25 player when healthy? Yes. Can he win multiple series as the best player? No. Not sure most years you can win even one. Plus he is always hurt.”