NBA : Ja Morant leaves Memphis, and Portland takes a swing on huge upside
The Ja Morant name had been doing the rounds in trade chatter for months. This time, it is done. According to Shams Charania, the Grizzlies guard is heading to the Portland Trail Blazers. Memphis gets Jerami Grant and Kris Murray in a deal that brings down the curtain on one of the most chaotic chapters in the franchise’s recent history.
After seven seasons in Tennessee, the former No. 2 pick is set for a new start. In Portland, he will share a locker room with Damian Lillard among others.
The end of a story built on promise and frustration
When Memphis backed Morant in 2019, the franchise thought it had found its next face for the next decade. Early on, that looked like a smart call. Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Star, Most Improved Player : the point guard quickly pushed the Grizzlies into the mix in the West.
Then it unravelled. The injuries piled up, and the off-court stuff ended up taking as much space as his play on the floor. Suspensions, controversy and long absences meant Morant never found the rhythm that defined his first seasons. Since 2023, he has played only a limited number of games, badly denting Memphis’s hopes.
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Portland bets on a fresh start
The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, are rolling the dice. If Morant gets back to his best, they land one of the NBA’s most explosive guards without giving up a major piece of their rebuild. Even so, the move raises plenty of questions. Damian Lillard, Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday and now Morant all operate in the same area of the floor. It is hard to see this roster staying as it is by the start of the season.
For Memphis, this trade is above all a reset. Cameron Boozer now has to carry the franchise’s future, while the Grizzlies finally close the book on a case that had become too heavy to carry.
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