Where the Sacramento Kings Stand in Ja Morant Trade Rumors

Before the Sacramento Kings drafted Darius Acuff Jr. with the seventh overall pick, there was a feeling that they could find their next star point guard in another way. Since trading away De'Aaron Fox in February 2025, the Kings have been linked to Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, but those talks have now been shut down.

Not only have the Kings found their new franchise point guard in Acuff Jr., but Morant's value is at an all-time low. NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Kings turned down a trade for Morant, and would only entertain such talks if the Grizzlies gave up draft capital in exchange for taking him on.

"The Sacramento Kings have been insistent that they only wanted to take Morant back if they were receiving draft capital, and the Grizzlies have been insistent that they are not willing to attach draft capital to move off of Morant," Fischer said on a Bleacher Report live stream. "Then Sacramento, of course, just used the No. 7 pick on Darius Acuff, who is gonna be their new lead guard, and bringing on Morant would be contradictory and counterintuitive."

The Sacramento Kings said no thanks to Ja Morant and would require the Memphis Grizzlies to include draft picks in any trade, per @JakeLFischer

(Via @BleacherReport ) pic.twitter.com/pXejx1ViC4
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 26, 2026

The Kings-Morant saga is over

It was no secret that the Kings needed a new point guard after trading Fox, and around the same time, the Grizzlies were reaching a breaking point with Morant. Naturally, it makes sense for the Kings to be rumored to have interest in the two-time All-Star point guard, but Sacramento is lucky things never went further than rumors.

Sure, if the Kings were able to swap Zach LaVine for Morant, then those talks could have been a bit more enticing, but even then, things will work out much better in the long run with Acuff Jr. leading Sacramento's offense.

Morant reached his peak in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, when he averaged 26.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game in that two-year span. In the three years since, however, he has appeared in just 79 games, and his production has significantly declined.

Mar 21, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant watches from the bench during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. | Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images

At just 26 years old, Morant cannot seem to stay healthy, and when he is available, he is not the same player he once was. It is not surprising that the Grizzlies have made him "flagrantly available" in trade talks, as ESPN's Brian Windhorst put it, but the Kings were (surprisingly) not the team to take the bait.

A Morant-less rebuild

The Kings are undoubtedly entering a new era with a full-fledged rebuild in mind. If the Kings were still looking for a way to stay mildly relevant and compete for a play-in spot, then sure, trading for Morant would have been a good move. However, they will now be building around Acuff Jr., and it should work out in the long run.

With a young core of Acuff Jr., Keegan Murray, Maxime Raynaud, Alex Karaban, Nique Clifford, Dylan Cardwell, and Emanuel Sharp, the Kings are much more focused on the future. Acquiring an already-declining star in Morant would have certainly slowed down Sacramento's rebuild, and might have even made the franchise think twice about taking Acuff Jr. with the seventh pick.

All in all, the Kings are lucky that they decided to pass on Morant, and going forward, their name should be left out of any rumors about the Grizzlies' star.

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