Which guard is the best trade value: Trae Young, LaMelo Ball or Ja Morant?

Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that LaMelo Ball, Trae Young, and Ja Morant “are being grouped together in the eyes of a lot of executives.” He added that, while they may not be available now, teams presume they could be at some point before the trade deadline. Each of the three talented guards has either serious flaws in their style, baggage or perhaps both.

Marc Stein says executives are watching LaMelo Ball, Trae Young, and Ja Morant

“These 3 all star guards are being grouped together by executives. Lamelo, Ja, Trae young. Maybe they aren’t available today, but they are players teams are anticipating could be available by… pic.twitter.com/zyusXejbXn
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) November 24, 2025

This makes one wonder: where does Morant rank in value compared to the other two?

Sometimes it doesn’t come down to what a player does or who they are, but rather to how good executives are at maneuvering. Jimmy Butler’s Miami drama last year proved someone can tarnish their reputation, again, and still get traded for quality goods. Yet, the Brooklyn Nets didn’t get nearly enough value for Kyrie Irving in 2023. Both of those guys were winning players. Questions remain about Ball, Young and Morant.

Ball has character concerns due to multiple instances of him being captured brazenly running red lights on video. He's also barely on the court and has only crossed the halfway mark (51- 2021, 75- 2022, 47- 2025) thrice in his six years. It's a shame because he a quality playmaker with great size. His build is one of his main advantages because guards aren't usually that big and struggle to contain his drives. Yet, he needs to stop taking bad shots.

Next is Young, who is recovering from a knee injury and is a gunslinger with little care for efficiency. He’s also the top playmaker of the bunch with the best playoff résumé, having led his team to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, although it is still light.

Yet his height, short arms, and sometimes low effort make him a negative on defense. His contract situation, with the possibility of being a free agent next summer via a player option, means the Hawks will have trouble getting full value for the in-his-prime point guard if trading is their route.

Then it’s Morant by default. Young would be the one with the most value if he weren’t at the end of his deal.

Morant’s play has been way below standard this season. He’s even quit at times and is now recovering from a calf strain. When healthy and interested, he’s a high-level athlete who is a real All-Star guard.

But keep in mind that he has notably slowed down a bit. In 2022-23, his last elite year, his dunk rate was 0.9 per game; now it’s just 0.25. His percentage of shots at the rim has almost been cut in half since that season, too. Perhaps he wants to ensure injuries don’t pile up.

Working against him is his weak mid-range game, and he is no threat behind the arc as a scorer. He’s at the start of his prime, and it’s possible the guy who electrified the league shows he’s still there, but the character questions remain, and that's a turnoff to others.

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