Inside The Heat

Could the Miami Heat get involved with Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies?

Another former franchise point guard is reportedly on the trade block.
Alex Toledo|
Oct 24, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) reacts during the first quarter against the Miami Heat at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Oct 24, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) reacts during the first quarter against the Miami Heat at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

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Another one bites the dust. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Memphis Grizzlies are "entertaining offers to potentially move two-time All-Star Ja Morant ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline."

The Miami Heat have been mentioned throughout this season as a potential team to watch for his services. The Stein Line's Jake Fischer reported earlier this season that the Heat had "internal discussions" about how the Heat's infrastructure could benefit Morant, while Clutch Points' Brett Siegel reported that the Heat showed interest at one point this season.

According to what "rival executives" believe, the Grizzlies will be looking to prioritize draft picks and young players in a potential trade involving Morant, which is where things get dicey in a Heat scenario.

The Heat have the ability to offer two first round picks and multiple pick swaps, and have some interesting young players when you look at Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, Nikola Jovic and Pelle Larsson. The question is: how much of that would they actually be willing to offer?

The Heat have been on superstar watch for a while now, with the team interested in what will happen with the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, reportedly unwilling to offer all their draft capital and some young players for the likes of Kevin Durant last summer.

This makes it hard to imagine them offering that up for a player, even if much younger than Durant, who has declined in production and efficiency over the past season or two.

In 18 games this season, the 26 year-old is averaging 19 points, 7.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds and a steal in 28.3 minutes per game, converting on 40.1 percent of his field goals and 90 percent of his free throws.

Additionally, Morant is taking a career-low amount of shots at the rim to go along with a career-low three-point percentage, true shooting percentage, effective field goal percentage and offensive estimated plus-minus.

The Heat could hypothetically offer a package centered around the contracts of Tyler Herro and Simone Fontecchio, with no draft picks or young players involved. Other machinations that involve either Terry Rozier's elephant-in-the-room contract, Andrew Wiggins or Norman Powell could also work.

Considering defense and fit issues along with offensive decline, there are some parallels with the Trae Young situation which saw the Atlanta Hawks receive two veterans, no draft capital or young players in this week's trade.

The star guard was suspended for one game earlier this season for "conduct detrimental to the team" after a confrontation with head coach Tuomas Iisalo. The drop-off in production, rim pressure and efficiency, combined with him only playing 59 combined games over the two seasons prior to this one, has not helped his situation it seems.

Another note: Noah LaRoche, who was a big reason for the Heat's offensive play-style shift earlier this season, was credited with a similar shift last season with the Grizzlies, which ultimately resulted in him and head coach Taylor Jenkins being let go.

There were many rumors that Morant was not a fan of the system, as it took the ball out of his hands more than he liked in a system featuring significantly fewer pick-and-rolls.

Currently under contract through 2027-2028, ($39.4 million this season, $42.1 million next season, $44.8 million the year after), Morant is eligible for a three year, $178 million extension this offseason.

For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.

Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket

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Alex Toledo
ALEX TOLEDO

Alex, who was born in Miami, is also a producer, co-host and reporter for the Five on the Floor podcast. He has covered the Heat and NBA since 2019 as a season credential holder. He studied journalism at Florida International University.

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