Ja Morant on the move? Three teams that can pry him away from Memphis

As the losses pile up, talk that Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies are headed towards a divorce isn’t going away. At the moment, things aren’t messy, but they are ugly.

A three-game losing streak doesn’t even rank among the NBA’s five worst entering Friday, but Morant’s continued struggles has made him a league talking point. What happened to Ja, or some variation of that question, has become a popular topic. His one-game suspension for openly pouting on the court and off, deemed “conduct detrimental to the team” was followed by granting his wish of not messing with his minutes.

Despite shooting 10-for-60 from 3-point range this season and averaging 5.8 turnovers per game through his first five November contests, Morant remains a commodity in this league. To put it another way, he’s not someone you have to beg another team to take off your hands, even owed the bulk of the $197.2 million five-year contract he’s tied to through 2027-28.

The 26-year-old is at a career crossroads in his seventh season, which makes it sound like he has more mileage on him than he’s put in. Morant has never played more than 67 regular-season games and participated in only nine in 2023-24 due to suspension and a shoulder surgery, so his legs are still fresh.

Want to know if a person knows ball? Google an analyst to see if they’ve said Morant’s athleticism has waned simply because he’s made it a point to limit his in-game dunking. If the answer is in the affirmative, click on that x and boycott their work as a waste of your time.

Morant has never been a great shooter, but did finish with a clip of 30.9 percent from 3-point range last season, in line with his career averages. That makes the percentage he’s currently sporting troublesome, but probably an aberration. He’s dishing out 8.1 assists per game, in line with his career best. Morant is shooting 95 percent from the free-throw line, so his stroke is fine and his shoulder isn’t an issue.

With Memphis looking like a 10-seed at best, the time has come to grant their franchise player a change of scenery before a trade demand sullies his reputation with Grizzlies fans and limits his market value.

A few weeks ago, post-suspension, I wrote about the 10 teams most likely to pick up the phone and make Memphis an offer. We’re now trimming down that list to a top-three. Only one suitor would make the move for Morant with a championship in mind, but the other two could use a star to sell tickets and create a buzz.

Ja the missing piece for title contender in Minnesota?

Anthony Edwards and Morant are friends, so he’d be thrilled with a new backcourt partner. Nickeil Alexander-Walker signed with Atlanta in the offseason and veteran Mike Conley is best suited as an option off the bench, so Donte DiVincenzo has been starting next to Edwards.

While the Grizzlies would have no interest in Rudy Gobert and would probably also pass on Julius Randle, forwards Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid could interest them. DiVincenzo is another option, while young guards like Rob Dillingham and Jaylen Clark would be ideal building blocks in a rebuild. There have already been rumors that the teams have had initial talks, so this looks like the most likely scenario for Morant to land with a contender.

Morant could light the beam, wear new crown in Sac-Town

Not committing to DeAaron Fox long-term was a polarizing decision that many in the organization have come to regret. Sacramento has been in flux over the last year-plus, not only moving Fox to San Antonio in a deal that netted multiple draft picks and Zach LaVine, who has a player option for next season for nearly $49 million he may or may not exercise.

Between LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis, the Kings have three well-paid veterans unhappy with the direction the organization is going in. Veteran combo guards Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk, Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis could be moved in addition to some draft capital if the Kings view Morant as a piece worth building around.

Ja could make capital gains in D.C.

Only the injury-ravaged Pacers and rebuilding Nets have a record as poor as Washington’s, who have lacked star power since the John Wall-Bradley Beal backcourt was in its prime. In Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum, the Wizards have expiring contracts that make a move for Morant feasible.

The Grizzlies have young guards Bub Carrington and Tre Johnson in addition to scoring wing Cam Whitmore that would be solid pieces for the Grizzlies to develop over the next few years. While Morant probably wouldn’t love going from one non-playoff team to another, he’d get to play in an up-tempo attack while getting the fresh start he seems to be looking for.

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