One of the emerging storylines around the NBA so far this year is the trade rumors surrounding several key players in the league, including Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant and Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball. Ball recently shot down a report of his own desire to be traded, while Morant has already been suspended for a game this year due to his calling out the coaching staff after a loss.
Recently, an article was published on ESPN.com detailing some league execs' hesitancy when it comes to these players.
“The combination of pain in the a**, injury prone, not that good anymore and big contract is a bad one,” said one scout about Morant, per Tim McMahon and Bobby Marks of ESPN.
“Ja has been going down, down, down,” said a Western Conference general manager who didn't want to be named. “I don't know how much of that is due to motivation. You've got to be able to look under the hood. I'm just not sure about his health.”
Meanwhile, league executives didn't have glowing reviews of Ball, either.
“He takes the same shots now that he took in high school,” a West assistant coach said. “Nothing has changed. I actually thought early in the year he was giving more of an honest effort defensively, but the offensive side looks like nothing has changed.”
“Can I trust LaMelo in the playoffs and games that matter late in the season?” wondered an Eastern exec. “We just don't know.”
Some vitriol was also aimed at Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young, who is currently injured.
“He's just small and doesn't play any defense,” said an East scout.
The Hawks have played well in Young's absence, which has further fueled trade speculation around the star.
Overall, it's still yet to be determined whether any of these star point guards, who were all at one point viewed as the faces of their respective franchises, will be moved in the coming months.
