Massive Ja Morant for Zion Williamson Trade Idea
In a recent article from Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley, one trade for every NBA team's worst contract was proposed. In a shocking trade idea from this article, a deal between the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans that swaps Ja Morant for Zion Williamson was proposed.
While Buckley admitted that Morant's contract is not necessarily a bad one, and any deal involving the Grizzlies star is hard to fathom even in the hypothetical realm, the entire returning package was quite the haul. Getting back Williamson and two future first round picks, the Grizzlies would be swapping the second-overall pick in 2019 NBA draft for the first-overall pick in that draft, plus two future firsts.
As noted in the original article, this particular deal was one of the more jarring inclusions, and for good reason. While this return for Morant is significant, Williamson's availability issues make dealing someone much more reliable a very hard sell. Since entering the league at the same time, Morant has played 134 more games than Williamson, and while they play different positions, their per game production has been very similar.
For all of the reasons mentioned, it seems very unlikely Memphis would have any interest in this deal, even with Morant's behavior issues that were noted in the original article. Williamson is incredible, and will be every bit of a superstar if he can stay healthy, but Morant has been much more reliable so far - even with his off the court issues.
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