The Domino Effect: How Ja Morant's Trade to Portland Impacts the Charlotte Hornets

There's rarely a dull day in the NBA offseason.

On Monday afternoon, in the middle of a string of posts about innocuous option decisions and pre-free agency salary dumps, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Memphis Grizzlies, at long last, found a trade partner for their embattled point guard Ja Morant.

Memphis agreed to trade Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, bringing an end to one of the league's longest-running trade melodramas.

There are two reasons this pertains to the Charlotte Hornets.

Morant's Trade Value Paled in Comparison to LaMelo Ball's

The return that Memphis got for their star point guard makes Charlotte's decision to trade LaMelo Ball look just a tad better. Both Memphis and Atlanta (Trae Young) effectively salary-dumped the faces of their franchises in deals that returned neutral value in the short-term and none in the long-term. The Hornets at least received a true pick swap with Minnesota in 2028 and a juicy unprotected first-round pick in 2033 on top of a useful rotation player in Naz Reid.

Remember the Ball, Morant, Young debates over hot chocolate last winter?

Morant and Young's trade value can help explain why Charlotte decided to trade Ball when it did. The Hornets were another LaMelo ankle injury away from his market value tanking back to where it was in December, and where Ja and Trae's were when they eventually got dealt. You may not like the return that Jeff Peterson received in the LaMelo trade, I don't, but it easily could look like a master stroke in asset management depending on how things shake out with Ball's health and impact in Minnesota.

The trades of Ball's contemporaries are informative here.

On to reason number two.

Jrue Holiday is Now an Intriguing Trade Target for Charlotte

There is now a glut of guards in Portland, and Holiday may be the odd man out. The veteran point guard will be 36-years-old when the 2026-27 season tips off, but he is still a valuable player and one that would be a fantastic veteran option to stabilize the Hornets' back court.

Dunks and Threes EPM graded out Holiday as the Blazers' second-best player last season behind only Donovan Clingan. He scored efficiently, defended well, and proved that there is still plenty of game left in the two-time champion.

As it stands, the Hornets' back court is exceptionally young. Aside from the newly acquired Grayson Allen, who himself may not be long for Charlotte, the Hornets are relying on a bunch of options (Coby White, Christian Anderson Jr., Sion James, and Kon Knueppel) that are in their early to mid 20s.

Charlotte coveted Pat Connaughton for his veteran leadership last season, and they could acquire Holiday to fill the same role in 2026-27 and beyond.

Like Connaughton, Holiday has an established relationship with Hornets' head coach Charles Lee. The duo won championships together in Milwaukee and Boston, and Holiday clearly holds Lee in high regard.

Holiday checks every single box that the Hornets franchise is looking for in a veteran. He defends, he can space the floor, he is a hard worker, and he is lauded across the league for his character.

Portland needs to make a couple of moves to balance their books (especially with the looming Deni Avdija extension) and their guard rotation after acquiring Morant, and Charlotte has the flexibility to re-unite Holiday with Charles Lee. He is set to make $34.8M in 2026-27 and has a player option for a whopping $37.2M the following year.

That $34.8M fits neatly into the $40.8M traded player exception that Charlotte will have after the LaMelo trade, and the Hornets would likely recoup a couple of second-round picks (or a first with minimal value) from the Trail Blazers for doing them a solid by taking on his exorbitant salary.

Holiday could buoy the Hornets' back court this year, and then his salary could be used to match that of a disgruntled superstar next summer. Charlotte will need a large outgoing salary if they play on going big-game hunting next summer, and Jrue's $37.2M (assuming he opts into his player option) (he will) would be perfect trade fodder in an ideal world.

Here's a potential deal:

Charlotte receives: Jrue Holiday (into the TPE), 2029 first-round pick (least favorable of Portland, Boston, and Milwaukee)
Portland receives: Tre Mann (who could get re-routed to a third team or waived)

Would you make this deal to bring Jrue Holiday to the Queen City? It feels like a no-brainer to me.

Add us as a preferred source on Google