The Memphis Grizzlies made it clear their team revolves around Jaren Jackson Jr. -- and not Ja Morant -- when they decided to only give the former a new max contract extension. That alone was a sign that Morant could eventually be on his way out of Memphis. Those talks have only intensified following Morant's one-game suspension after his public criticism of the Grizzlies' coaching staff.
Morant finished with a season-low eight points in their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, shooting 3-of-14 from the field in 31 minutes. After the underwhelming performance, Morant repeatedly told the media to "go ask the coaching staff" regarding what went wrong and what he could have done differently.
"According to them, probably don't play me, honestly. That's basically what the message was after, so it's cool," Morant finally added.
Could Ja Morant be on the move?
NBA insider Marc Stein reports on The Stein Line (subscription required) that teams are -- and have been -- monitoring the situation in Memphis, seeing if it's an opportunity to land a proven star in the league.
"The inevitable talk of rival teams now monitoring the situation is a no-duh way to describe the sudden vibe in Memphis — since rival teams are always poised to pounce on proven All-Stars who might (or might not) be unhappy in their current surroundings — but the truth is that Morant's future has been must-monitor going back to the June draft and the buildup to it," Stein writes. "That is when rumbles started to circulate in earnest that the contract extension Morant was eligible for this past offseason would not be offered … and that this team might no longer revolve around him."
Stein adds that Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman called 2025-26 "a big season for Ja." Not only that, but Kleiman has also publicly supported head coach Tuomas Iisalo following Morant's recent comments. Simply put, Stein makes it seem like things are not going great in Memphis. Their general manager is siding with the coach, which could mean that Morant is gone before February's trade deadline.
If that is the case, the Portland Trail Blazers and general manager Joe Cronin should be on the other end of that phone call.
Why Ja Morant could be Portland's missing star
The Blazers are still a star away from being considered legitimate threats in the stacked Western Conference. But at the same time, Portland is 4-2, proving that their strong finish to last season was anything but a fluke. They can compete with any team in the league on a nightly basis. Why not add that missing piece?
Opportunities to add a star who still fits their rebuilding timeline are going to be few and far between unless they mortgage their future. The Blazers should see if this is a rare opportunity to get a disgruntled star at a discount.
They could even include Scoot Henderson or Shaedon Sharpe in the package to give Memphis a backcourt replacement for Morant. Some Blazers fans may consider those two guards to be off-limits, but the reality is that Portland's building blocks lie in their frontcourt with Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan. The most significant question marks surrounding this roster lie in the backcourt, especially considering both Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard are nearing the end of their careers at 35 years old.
Offensively, Morant's elite athleticism would be a perfect fit for the pace of play Portland has emphasized this season. In many ways, he'd provide Portland with what they envisioned Henderson to be when they invested a No. 3 overall pick in him.
At some point, the Blazers are going to have to make an aggressive splash to add a star talent in order to raise their ceiling and avoid long-term purgatory. With the way this roster is trending, it makes perfect sense for that piece to be a guard. From that standpoint, there may be no better option come February than the Grizzlies' two-time All-Star.