Ja Morant Traded to the Guard Heavy Trail Blazers

I want to ask you about one of your former teams, the Portland Trail Blazers, who made a splash this week.

They have acquired John Morant.

Now, 4 years ago, this would have been a big deal.

4 years ago, John Morant was an MVP candidate, Most Improved player, led the Grizzlies to 56 wins.

Now he is a shell of that due in part to injuries, off the court issues, coach classes, got clashes to the point where the best the Memphis Grizzlies could do.

is taking on another crappy contract , which is that of Jeremy Grant and Chris Murray, who's a, you know, fringy, decent, you know, wing that, uh, that maybe they can use down there in Memphis.

No picks required in this deal.

Nothing.

Just a couple of guys for Ja Morant.

I think the Grizzlies probably count themselves lucky on that.

Like I think Memphis.

I think they were staring down the barrel, ET of having to waive this guy.

Like I think they were probably gonna have to eat the cost and just, uh, release him if they really want to get him off their roster before the start of next season, which they probably do is they kind of try to try to transition to this next iteration of this team.

But from Portland's perspective, what do you think of this deal?

The Blazers going out, getting John Morant, adding him to what is an interesting looking backcourt right now.

I mean, I like it.

I think, uh, for the sake of just the whole situation, because I thought it was something bad when the Kings were just like, no, we're not even gonna take him without picks.

So, I was getting tired of hearing the John Morant situation, the story, I wanted to see him have a fresh start.

I think one thing that I appreciate the most about it.

Um, you know, in the West you need firepower.

And I know it's a weird looking lineup, but you got, you know, 3 pretty good guards at least to go along to, to hide some of Jaw's inefficiencies, going with obviously the Honorable Dame Lillard and then Drew Holiday.

I think one thing that this will allow um, Dame and Du, especially coming back off injury until he gets his legs under him, but just even in general, he's going on what, 30, it's his 36th birthday this summer.

Yeah, 36th birthday, and uh, you know, I, I think it was 5 years ago when he was trying to say he wanted to cut his minutes down to 28, 30 minutes per game.

So I think he wants to log it a little less, but at the same time, play a little more off the ball if he can and have somebody be able to pass him the ball and find him in the right type of spots.

I think Sure, he's never really got to play with that.

I wouldn't even call myself that in that situation.

I just know for sure he's always had to play on ball and he's rarely ever had somebody find him shots, and I believe John Morant will be able to do that.

I believe, uh, you know, Dame Lillard on the floor will change the geometry of the floor as well, no matter what.

Where you're gonna have to, if he's off the ball, you got to space out 30-something feet, that's gonna open up so many more lanes for Denny Avia, obviously John Morant himself, and you know, lob threats and just, just great plays.

So I, I kind of like it.

I think it looks funky in this situation, but if you get a thoroughbred back to his old sense, we're gonna be like, this is John Morant.

Half the battle is John having to sit out and time out.

And you know, get greased a little bit and, uh, you know, show whatever's occurring, but I mean, you get out and running, you find the right type of situation, and he's still a very good point guard in a pick and roll.

We just didn't see that much once the Memphis Grizzlies changed coaches and switched up their offense, which is crazy because this is the NBA.

What Top point guard doesn't get a heavy bulk of pick and roll per game.

So, I believe they're going to put them in the right situation to be successful.

They have to put them in the right situation to be successful, or, you know, you, you end up with another Scoot Henderson.

Not saying it's bad, but they have to pick their spaces and you have to roll with the punches and when they get hot.

Yeah, they're buying low, but it is a low-risk, high reward type of trade for them because worst-case scenario is you pay him for a couple of years, you're already paying Jeremy Grant for a couple of years.

It doesn't work out, he comes off your books, you have some financial flexibility, uh, moving forward.

Best-case scenario is you can get him back to resembling something close to what John Morant actually was.

And I agree with everything you said there.

I think offensively, Uh, he can be dynamic in this, in whatever system Mike and Nori decides to run.

I'm sure they will pivot back to a pick and roll heavy offense that works for John, that works for Damian Lillard.

You can run a lot of, I think, the same stuff.

They're not the same players.

Dame's an exponentially better shooter.

That's a problem that Jaws had over the last couple of years, but you can, you can do a lot of the same things there.

And, and it's a good point you make like Dame.

is coming off an Achilles tear .

Dame is in his mid-30s.

Like, he's not looking to be the Damian Lillard from 10 years ago where he's playing 38+ minutes per game every night.

John Morant theoretically can take some of that pressure off you.

Now, I do think when they're sharing the floor, I think defensively , they're gonna need some help, and that makes Donovan Klingon a lot more important on that backline.

Like you gotta keep him around now.

You can't afford to trade him because you gotta have.

You gotta have somebody backstop in that defense.

I think the big question for me is like, what else do they do?

Because you cannot go into the season with this backcourt rotation.

You can't have Drew there and Shayden Sharp there and Scoot Henderson there.

That's too many guards that are gonna want big minutes.

Like, and you can't play these guys together.

Like Drew can play with other guards, but like, it's not like any of them, I guess Shayden's a little bit bigger, but like you can't play Scoot at small forward or Dame at small forward or Johns, like you just can't.

So I think there's another move to come, um, and I'm curious to see what they get for one of these guys.

What is the value of a sharp of a Henderson?

Oh, that's where Jalen Brown is.

No, is there?

No, go well, I mean, I think I haven't, I haven't done the math, but I think they, I think they still can.

I think they still can put together a package.

They can still put together a package for, for Jalen Brown.

Um, it's a little trickier without the contract of Jeremy Grant, but they could still put together a package for, for Brown.

I, look, I like it.

I think adding Jalen to that mix, you can play Avdia more as a, a power forward type in that situation.

Uh, I, I think you're an incredibly dynamic team.

Jalen's an excellent two-way wing.

Jalen's under contract for 3 more years, you don't have to worry about that.

Yeah, I like the swing that in, in doing a, a deal like that.

I'm just, I still have no read on what Boston's gonna do here, like I don't know, I mean.

You know, I, I, the more people I talked to, The less likely I think it is that Jalen's back.

I, I just get the sense that Boston believes for whatever reason that this is no longer sustainable there, that they need to move off him, whether it's for another star player or for a package of younger players, draft picks that they could theoretically turn around and trade for a player down the line.

I'm not sure what your, your feel is in that situation, but I don't think anything's close right now, but I, I do think they, they are motivated to get a deal done.

Yeah, I, I think one thing I could be biased, somebody asked me this the other day, like what role player would you take in any situation.

And I was like besides the controversial Dylan Brooks, I think Drew Hoday is the most important player you can get in any situation where you're trying to keep Your team together.

Cause even when we talk about with the Portland Trail Blazers, it's like, man, well, you could play Drew with other guards.

You play Drew with other guards and then you can also have Drew defend 1 through 4.

Remember back in the day with the Pelicans, he switched on to Kevin Durant.

You know what I mean?

He was switching from Ron, uh, he's switching from Steph Curry to Kevin Durant and locking in.

Half the season he's top five in assists.

He can shoot the 3 even during a 2024 run.

He still averaged 12 points just floating around letting Derrick White take his shot, you know what I mean?

But I think if you're going to go get an important piece and somebody that needs to lock in and you get the most out of them because Because when you sit there, you, you forget what occurs if you give Drew Holiday the ball for 25, 26 minutes.

And I'm, I'm not saying like it, it, it, I'm not saying like oh he's the same age as Dame or whatever, but how he plays at a pace, how he understands the game, how he understands how to win, I think as though that would be important for Boston Celtics to get if they, they are going to make a change because it looks like Charlotte's trying to do something, but I can't imagine what that would be.

But I couldn't see them getting anything back worthwhile.

I can see this working out.

Perfectly for the last couple of years of what Dame was finally looking for his past 6 years of begging and like, let me, let me get a team here, let me get a team there.

I feel like they need to go all in on that.

You would need a Drew Holiday, but I love how Shayden Sharp was developing.

Donovan Klingon is one of the best offensive rebounding big men in the league, and he angers that defense tremendously.

You got the big fella, uh, forget, uh, Uh, Robert Williams, they just re-signed and man Time Lord and then Big Big Dog, um, Han, Juan, yeah, Big sexy, uh, big, um, from, from China, yeah, yeah, uh, but I, I, I, I can see that working tremendously, but they do have some really good pieces, but you can't forget the All-Star Denny Otvia too.

It's either you taking that, giving that over here, but we got to figure out what's going on .

But that, that, that would match up if both teams are trying to make something happen.

Young Hansen is who you're looking for.

Yeah, young handsome, big dog.

I'm not so, not so sure about him.

I'm not so sure he's gonna pan out.

I'm a little skep more skeptical about him than the other guys.

Look, I get it.

Like, I mean, well, you got, no, I mean, I like, I like the decision to bring Robert Williams back.

I mean, it just goes to show once again.

Again , this is an arms race for Big Ben Robert Williams, who's historically had a bunch of injuries.

He gets 3 years, $44 million big number for a guy.

Shout out to Big Dog.

Shout out to Time Lord, bro.

That's crazy.

Damn, Rob, get money.

Get money, get paid.

Seriously, man , I.

Good for Rob, bro.

Don't tell you, you, you were born 6 inches too small and 10 years too late there, man, apparently too early, I should say.

Well, bro, Rob never get like, don't put this on there, but Rob never comes to me, you know, Rob, bro, like you get 44 million for barely playing.

Like you play 30%, you catch 8 dunks, you do like 5 blocks per game 3 times a year, you know what I mean?

Good for Rob, bro.

I'm not, I'm not mad at him, but it's just like, Rob, I, I know you need me.

Yeah, no doubt about that.

Um.

I, I wonder with Ja to go back to him.

Like, can he get back what he lost?

Like in your opinion, when you watch him, like, put aside the off the court stuff, the injuries are what have been, uh probably more problematic long-term for the Blazers.

Like he's had some lower body injuries.

He hasn't been durable in, in some recent years.

Uh, the explosiveness isn't what it used to be.

Um, how he played, I remember he said that, it was like a year or two ago when he said, I'm not gonna dunk quite as much anymore, to try to preserve his body.

That hasn't really Helth matters all that much.

He is only 26 years old , be 27, I think in August.

Like, can he get it back?

Do you think physically he can get back to being the player he once was?

And like can, can he polish his game?

Like he was a sub 30% 3-point shooter last year.

Like he's, you can't.

Do that in the NBA.

You've got to be more consistent to be a star in today's game.

Can John Morant get it back?

Yeah, I definitely think so.

I think one thing, he's been sitting out long enough, so hopefully his body has healed.

He's not even in his athletic prime yet.

I think that's one thing for sure.

I think, uh, One thing that we noticed where he started struggling was like he started losing his, some of his best soldiers.

You know what I mean?

It was one thing where you had that loaded team with Desmond Bain, Dylan Brooks, like a lot of great players to be able to pass to, kick to, and they were all doing it as a core unit.

John was just a rock star, you know what I mean?

I think now once you start going and you're trying to, you know, have Jaren Jackson go here and you're waiting for a couple of other guys to develop, I don't think John's game was polished enough to be able to handle such big changes along with going with coaching changes as well and then dealing with injuries.

And then that big reputation of trying to come out and be Superman.

I think a lot of things hit him at once where I think Shoot, the, the, the, the strongest man would have been, you know, weathered by the storm, but I think the, the one thing that we haven't been able to get a large chunk size of is him playing it healthy these past few years and seeing the actual John Morant.

We've seen John Morant with court cases, we've seen John Morant with bad body.

Injuries.

We've seen John Morant beefing with his coaches and feeling like he can't be focused on the court because he's looking at the sideline.

I think players play better when they're happy, the change of scenery will definitely help, but what, what do we want from a John Morant situation?

17 and 8 , 17-9?

At the very least, we give him credit.

He was a pure playmaker.

He was a very good point guard even coming out of college, a very good playmaker.

You know, you got to be able to, you know, pass the ball to the right type of people.

I think when you put the right type of players around him, his game is going to expand, and he's going to look even better when you don't have to worry about him so much.

You just brought up earlier, Damian Lillard on the floor is going to give you at least Two-man spacing.

Like, do you understand what I'm saying?

Like you're not going to worry about him whatsoever.

So I think he'll be good this year.

I think one thing that occurs when you look at every team is what do you do different than everybody else.

Jah's pace.

He'll be able to have, go at his own pace and be able to change the tempo of the game for at least 8 minutes a game and play and play the way he wants to play and, and most importantly, get back into the pick and roll situation.

We don't talk enough about being like how you have a two-time All-Star, one of the top players in the league.

And you start running pick and rolls, like where, where do they do that at?

Like, like that, that makes absolutely no sense.

Like that's what the front office like allowed to happen.

Like I wasn't crazy for being like, yo, I'm not playing like this.

Figure out a system for the franchise.

So I, I believe he can turn it around.

I'm not expecting much more than 18 and 8.

I believe they have good enough players for him to be able to find the right type of situation, and I believe in that offense when you're able to dribble and drive off the ball, he's gonna get to the rack.

He'll be good.

Well, if he averaged 18 and 8 over 60+ games next year, they'll have a party at Domain Serene for him.

Yeah, yeah.

Hey, they can use, they can use my points.

There you go.

There you go.

There you go.