Will Ja Morant's Card Market Return to Glory With The Portland Trail Blazers?
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Temetrius Jamel Morant was the #1 option of the Memphis Grizzlies for seven years, from the day he was drafted until the final day of the recently concluded season. You don't reach that kind of status within an NBA organization without having anything to show for it.
Unfortunately, everyone knows the story by now. His off-court challenges and the penalties imposed by the league have kept his basketball career, no matter how good he truly is, secondary to the public's opinion of him in recent years. This has translated into a loss of hype as a player and declining interest in his sports card market.
As if the world were told that it's time for a fresh start and to give Ja Morant's career a second chance, he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers on June 29, 2026, officially marking the end of his Grizzlies tenure. New city, new beginning, and a chance at creating a new legacy for himself. But is that going to do anything for his sports card market?
Ja's Market Has Been Declining Since 2022
The peak of Ja Morant's card market came in mid-2022 following a solid postseason campaign with the Memphis Grizzlies. After a market correction, the general valuation for his cards remained relatively strong through March 2023 — but it was all downhill from there.
Morant's gun incidents not only affected his personal life and the court of public opinion, but they also sidelined him for a significant amount of time following a number of short suspensions handed by the Grizzlies and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's 25-game suspension ahead of the 2023-24 season.
His return from suspension wasn't any better either, as injuries plagued him for years (on top of a few more gun-related gestures that drew criticism) and he never fully returned to the form he showed from 2021-2023.
The Hobby Side: His Popularity Isn't Really Gone
The last two or three seasons of Ja Morant's career haven't been reflective of a superstar-caliber player. He's been injured more often than he's shown up on the court, and if he isn't hurt, he's battling some form of criticism from both the public and the league. So why would his name even still be relevant for a sports card collector?
The reason boils down to the fact that he's a character. It doesn't matter if you see him as a villain or the opposite, everyone knows him. Everyone that's seen him play knows how great he is when he's completely healthy. Not to mention, he's still just 26.
Why Not Take A Chance?
There is no guarantee that Ja Morant and the Portland Trail Blazers will pull off a New York Knicks-esque run in the playoffs. The trade does not come with a promise like that. What it does come with, as mentioned previously, is a fresh start for everyone.
Ja Morant will be leading a new team alongside a core that just made the playoffs last season. One healthy year without any more controversies is all it really takes to turn things around. His card market is currently at its lowest, and the prices should actually be exciting collectors and potential investors alike.
$24 for a PSA 10 of his 2019 Prizm RC, $18 for a PSA 10 of his 2019 Optic RC, and $25 for a PSA 10 of his 2019 Chronicles RC. The risk for taking a chance on Morant is near zero at this point, and if you're a fan who just wants a piece of Portland's newest star in your collection, there's never been a better time to get in.
It's not set in stone that Ja Morant's card market will return to those top-dollar values, but there's nothing that says it won't ever happen either. All the pieces are in place for a full reset, and another chance to reach the potential everyone knows he has.
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Joaqin is a journalist with a strong passion for the Hobby. He has published work for HLTV.org, Rappler.com, and DLSU Sports. A decade-long Pokémon TCG collector, he recently shifted into sports cards to collect Lakers, Dodgers and Chargers players with growing PCs of Shohei Ohtani and Justin Herbert.