Not only were the Portland Trail Blazers finally able to offload Jerami Grant, but they also did so without sacrificing draft capital to incentivize a team to take on his massive contract!
Unfortunately, the Memphis Grizzlies are saying the same thing about their polarizing star, Ja Morant.
Kris Murray's plateau as an unreliable shooter made him expendable in Portland, essentially making this a swap of one negative asset for another. But are we sure it was the right one for Portland?
Ja Morant is a massive headache for Portland
Sure, in a vacuum Morant is far more talented than Grant. But the rebuilding Grizzlies rid themselves of the headache that comes from his off-court issues and a superstar ego trapped inside a descending star's body.
At 26 years old, Morant should theoretically just be entering his prime. Portland's hoping that's the case, as this was a swing on the upside of someone who's not only a Rookie of the Year but also a two-time All-Star. But there's a reason this was the best available offer for Memphis to wash its hands of Morant.
Injuries have unfortunately derailed his career, preventing him from playing at a star level. Availability has been a significant issue -- Morant has averaged 26.3 games played over the last three seasons. That's a red flag in general, but particularly for someone so dependent on utilizing his athleticism to attack downhill. The concerns are somewhat reminiscent of Derrick Rose's shortened prime.
There's certainly a nonzero chance that Morant returns to form in the next two years Portland has him under contract. However, the cons of this bold decision likely outweigh the pros.
The Blazers wanted to give Damian Lillard a puncher's chance at a championship with his closing window without sacrificing their promising future. Realistically, they know that even an aggresive star trade for someone like Jaylen Brown wouldn't be enough -- it was essentially Giannis Antetokounmpo or nothing.
We don't mind the low-risk swing for Morant in that sense. But where Portland went wrong is his horrible fit on this roster.
Ja Morant is a horrible fit for this Blazers roster
Grant may have been an overpaid negative asset, but he was our negative asset! By that I mean he actually embraced his sixth-man role last season, even providing value to a defensive-minded second unit with his scoring and shot creation.
Morant is the opposite of Grant -- someone already rumored to be starting alongside Damian Lillard this upcoming season. That's far more problematic to the future Portland appears to be prioritizing with this low-risk trade. It hinders the development of Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, creating a massive backcourt logjam. It risks locker-room or off-court issues, given his history, with The Oregonian's Bill Oram referencing the return of "The Jail Blazers" with this move.
Morant goes against everything this team was and needed this offseason. A backcourt pairing of him and Lillard is a defensive disaster, defeating the purpose of their established defensive identity. Offensively, Portland finally has playmakers, but somehow managed to get even worse in the shooting department after GM Joe Cronin identified shooting as the top offseason priority.
Sure, the Blazers didn't get up much, if anything, to land a former star in this league. But there's a reason for that, as Portland is going to pay for this deal in ways well beyond the assets they surrendered.
Add us as a preferred source on Google