One of the key NBA rumor mill storylines so far this year has been the trade speculation surrounding Memphis Grizzlies former star point guard Ja Morant. Morant has been in and out of the lineup so far this year due to injury, but when he's been on the court, he's seen his play taper off significantly in virtually every aspect of the game.
Still, there is some hope that a change of scenery could help Morant get things back on track, and recently, Sam Amick reported on the latest intel in that regard.
“To this point, there’s a reason so much of the focus on possible Morant trade scenarios in league circles has been, in essence, on the concept of one team swapping its imperfect former All-Star for another team’s (the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young for Morant; the Kings’ Zach LaVine for Morant — that sort of thing),” reported Amick.
Amick also added that “the combination of his contract (a combined $87 million in the next two seasons), health concerns and his myriad of controversies has led to a clear conclusion among rival executives: It’s a buyer’s market when it comes to the (fallen) two-time All-Star.”
Morant was once thought to be a future face of the NBA, but the combination of his off-court issues, along with the Grizzlies' steady decline over the last three years, has threatened to turn his legacy into nothing more than a cautionary tale.
At the present moment, the Grizzlies sit with a disappointing record of 9-12, certainly not out of the picture, but not at all where they were hoping they'd be a month and a half into the season.
If Morant returns from injury and starts to look more like the 2022 version of himself, it's certainly possible that the wins could finally start stacking up for Memphis–and that the trade return offers could get more enticing.
