The Portland Trail Blazers just acquired Ja Morant this offseason. Nothing suggests they're looking to flip him; in fact, there's recently been discussion about Morant starting in the backcourt next to Damian Lillard.
But should the Blazers consider flipping Morant, specifically towards February's trade deadline?
Blazers should be open to flipping Ja Morant this season
Considering practice has already opened up, and we're approaching October, it's safe to assume Portland will enter this 2026-27 season with its backcourt logjam unresolved. Morant wasn't really a trade candidate, but Jrue Holiday and, to a lesser extent, Scoot Henderson certainly were.
However, despite Holiday's potential bench demotion and a Henderson extension still to come, the Blazers want to keep this group of guards together for now. At Media Day, the consistent theme amongst answers was that this guard depth is a good problem to have.
That could turn out to be the case, especially with the amount of ball-handlers and decision-makers they now have to resolve a frustrating turnover problem last season. Hopefully that Morant career revival does happen in Portland, and he benefits from the change of scenery and veteran leadership of Lillard and Holiday.
That still won't change the fact that he's a questionable fit for this roster and identity established under general manager Joe Cronin. Even if Morant is back to his old Grizzly ways, he doesn't have that size, versatility, or defense that Cronin has prioritized throughout this rebuild with pieces like Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan, and Holiday.
Even offensively, there's legitimate concern about how Morant's ball-dominant, downhill playstyle fits with Avdija, who led the league in drives per game last year. Not to say Morant is a selfish player by any means; it was a point of emphasis by Nori about this unselfish nature of this group being a strength to make this guard situation work.
Deni Avdija's future could make Ja Morant more expendable
Still, last season made it clear that this is Deni Avdija's team. Morant, a career 31.1 three-point shooter, may be open to an off-ball role, but he's unfortunately unlikely to thrive in one.
If they do manage to sort out the murky on-court fit, that's likely to result in an increase in trade value for Morant. The Blazers only surrendered a productive Kiris Murray and negative asset in Jerami Grant for Morant. The idea of potentially flipping that into future assets if he has a resurgence in Portland should be appealing, especially given the fit around Avdija.
That extends even beyond the court, as Avdija's looming renegotiation and extension was also a topic of discussion at Media Day. The Blazers still have time to sort that out, but must be proactive as it will require cap space. Morant, set to take $42.2 million this season and $44.9 million in 2027-28, would be the more straightforward way for Portland to resolve that.
At Media Day, you got the sense that Cronin was taking a wait-and-see approach to see how this backcourt unfolds before making any major changes. Hopefully the Blazers are able to boost Morant's trade value between now and February, as it would give them another route to consider and more flexibility to optimize a roster.
One benefit of having so many guards is that Cronin can now take this roster in a variety of different directions. And with the priority now shifting to Avdija's future, trading Morant at least has to be considered if Portland can get anything of significance.
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