Ja Morant trade rumors: Destinations, trade ideas, Bucks among teams with some interest

With Trae Young in the nation’s capital and Anthony Davis missing time with a hand injury (which ends trade talk about him), Ja Morant becomes the biggest name potentially moved at the deadline.

Memphis should be able to get more of a return for Morant than Atlanta got for Young because teams are “more intrigued by his potential than Trae,” as one former front office person put it to NBC Sports. That said, Morant’s baggage, injury history, and salary mean the Grizzlies are not going to get near what they got last summer for Desmond Bane (Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, four firsts, and a pick swap). Meanwhile, Morant remains sidelined with a calf injury.

There is a ton of news on potential Morant destinations, so let’s break it down in bullet points:

• The Milwaukee Bucks, desperate for more talent to put around Giannis Antetokounmpo, are interested in Morant, reports the well-connected Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

This pairing seems an odd fit because Morant and Antetokounmpo play a similar style of offensive game — they need the ball in their hands to drive downhill, get in the lane and score or create for others. Neither is great off-ball. This feels like it would be just two stars taking turns, and how much better does that make the Bucks?

Still, this is a legitimate rumor. Owczarski also reports the Bucks are still interested in Zach LaVine, a fit that makes more sense on the court.

• The Sacramento Kings are “lukewarm at best” on adding Morant, reports John Hollinger at The Athletic. Which is the smart move for Sactown, while this team needs talent, Morant is not the roll of the dice this team should take. However, as noted by Hollinger, the unpredictable Vivek Ranadive factor means they can’t be ruled out.

• One interesting name Hollinger brings up as a dark horse: the Brooklyn Nets. They will trade away Michael Porter Jr. at the deadline — he is the player most certain to be traded — and might be the perfect team to take a flyer on Morant, hoping a new situation is what he needs to return to his All-Star form.

• A lot of people bring up Minnesota because it could use a point guard, but league sources told NBC Sports not to expect them to get in the mix (the Timberwolves would have to give up too much depth to make the money work, like a three- or four-to-one deal, and they are looking for a less expensive option at the point).

• Toronto is another team mentioned, with the trade being Immanuel Quickley and other assets to the Grizzlies (which is what the Raptors offered to Atlanta for Young last summer). Does that make sense for Toronto now? The Raptors sit fourth in the East. Why would they mess with their chemistry and send out multiple players to bring in Morant, who would dominate the ball on a team best at sharing it? Expect Toronto to go after a center.

• Miami gets mentioned as having interest, although it’s fair to question if Morant is a fit with the Heat culture. Jake Fischer at The Stein Line reported that the Heat are asking themselves exactly that, “whether the organization could foster a productive environment for Ja Morant to bounce back to his All-Star best.”

• A Morant for LaMelo Ball swap of point guards — something speculated about early in the season — is very unlikely now, Fischer reported. With Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller in Charlotte as key parts of the future, it’s hard to imagine why the Hornets would make this deal.

Posted in NBA

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.