3 Reasons The Kings Should Not Trade For Ja Morant

If you’re an NBA fan, you’ve more likely than not heard that Memphis Grizzlies’ Star, Ja Morant, might be on his way out of Tennessee. Since finishing second in the Western Conference back-to-back years, Memphis has failed to build on their success and has dealt with constant injuries and off-court issues.

Those off-court issues have centered around Ja in the past, but all signs point to him turning a new leaf. The problem is, the drama has seeped into actual basketball, with Morant being suspended a game after making comments about the coaching staff. Trade rumors started to swirl, and of course, the Sacramento Kings have been mentioned as a possible landing spot. Morant is undoubtedly a talented player, but there are three big reasons why he might not be worth pursuing for the Kings.

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has been suspended one game for conduct detrimental to the team. pic.twitter.com/STotAlgC54
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 1, 2025

He Will Likely Cost Multiple First Round Picks

The Grizzlies are not trading Ja without recouping multiple first-round picks and likely one or two promising young talents. Desmond Bane was traded for five first-round picks, and De’Aaron Fox brought back three for the Kings, which tells me that even a disgruntled Morant will be expensive.

For a team that is close to competing for a championship and desperately needs a point guard (Houston, for example), giving up future assets makes sense. Morant is one of the most electric players in the league, and adding him to an already talented squad is absolutely something every GM should look into, but Sacramento is simply not one of those teams.

The Kings are not close to a championship as currently constructed, and trading first-round picks should be reserved for a player that they are positive can be a cornerstone of a contender. As great as Morant can be, I’m not convinced he can be the player a team builds a Larry O’Brien winning roster around.

Tim Bontemps says Ja Morant isn’t a top-10 PG by talent or production.

“I rather have Darius Garland than Ja Morant…he doesn’t really shoot it, he doesn’t guard, he’s not really available and he’s not as athletic as he was a couple years ago.”😬

pic.twitter.com/M0ezjHRYdz
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 3, 2025

The Fit With Domantas Sabonis is Not There

Unless the Kings are planning on moving Sabonis in any Morant deal (which would create another set of challenges) the pairing should be a non-starter. Ja is incredibly athletic, but even top 1% athleticism can’t make up for a lack of size.

Morant is only 6’2” and 175 pounds, which has severely limited his ability to be a positive on the defensive side of the ball. Because of Morant's limitations, he’s best suited to playing with a center who is a legitimate rim protector, which Sabonis is not. Even if you move Ja to a less effective offensive player, his lack of switchability would make it easy for offenses to get the matchups they want.

Jan 1, 2023; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) shoots as Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) defends during the second half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

On top of the defensive issues, I don’t think Sabonis and Ja are a good match for each other offensively. Morant is most effective when he’s using his speed and athleticism to get downhill, and for him to have the spacing he needs to be his most dangerous, the center he’s playing with either needs to be a threat from three or a lob threat. Sabonis is obviously neither of those and plays best with a guard who is comfortable on pull-up jumpers.

While Morant has had his moments of decent pull-up shooting, he shot just 33% on pull-up jumpers last season, according to NBA.com and has never shot better than 34% from three. With both Sabonis and Morant being most impactful in the paint, opposing bigs can sit in a deep drop and be content letting the pair take jumpers all game long. Morant did hit 47% of his floaters last season, which is nothing to scoff at, but if it’s his only option, he becomes much less dynamic as a primary option.

Concerning trend for Ja Morant: https://t.co/ThKJVu8Mxc pic.twitter.com/3LgJh65W3m
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) November 1, 2025

There’s a Chance Morant Has Already Hit His Peak

Morant’s best season in the NBA came in 21/22, where he made the All-NBA Second Team, averaging 27 points and 6.7 assists per game on nearly 50% from the field and 34% from three. That season, Morant was surrounded by a great supporting cast, including Jaren Jackson Jr., who was an All-Defensive First Team selection, the aforementioned Bane, who shot 44% from three, and a great supporting cast.

Of course, you can always improve, but that team played to Morant's strengths and weaknesses extremely well, and the Grizzlies were still unable to make it past the second round of the playoffs. This is all conjecture, of course, so let’s talk about some stats that back up some regression that may already be happening. Kirk Goldsberry put out a piece on The Ringer about NBA trends and Morant’s offensive issues were front and center. Morant is scoring just .58 points per shot on jumpers this year, which is the worst mark among players who have taken at least 50.

Goldsberry also points out that the Grizzlies have actually been a better offensive team with Morant off the court. Memphis has a 106.2 offensive rating with Morant on and a 113.7 rating with him off. Couple that with his decreasing rim frequency mentioned by Kevin O’Connor in the tweet above, and you have enough to argue that Morant has hit his peak as a player.

He Will Likely Cost Multiple First Round Picks

The Fit With Domantas Sabonis is Not There

There’s a Chance Morant Has Already Hit His Peak

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