The Portland Trail Blazers are acquiring Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies, according to ESPN. The deal will send Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to Memphis. The deal ends Morant's successful yet controversial tenure in Memphis after seven seasons.
Morant, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, won Rookie of the Year with the Grizzlies in 2020 and was the NBA's Most Improved Player in 2022. He was, for the beginning of that Memphis tenure, one of the NBA's best downhill scoring forces and looked like he was on track to become one of the faces of the NBA.
But injuries over the years sapped him of much of his power as a driver. He never developed a reliable 3-point shot or became a consistently impactful defender. After a series of off-court incidents led to multiple suspensions, Morant's relationship with the Grizzlies further deteriorated early last season, when he questioned how he was being used by new Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo. Memphis attempted to trade him at February's deadline, but he now moves on before free agency begins this offseason.
Morant, who turns 27 in August, played in just 20 games last season and was shut down in January due to an elbow issue.
Now he will attempt to resurrect his career in Portland, and he'll do so on a team with several other former star guards. Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday are in place, and Deni Avdija just made his first All-Star team as Portland's primary ball-handler. There are real questions about the fit in Portland, but if he can get back on track, this is a buy-low move for a player with superstar talent.
CBS Sports will have more on this breaking news story.
