The Portland Trail Blazers were finally able to trade Jerami Grant this offseason, but largely defeated the purpose of trading him when they surprisingly packaged Grant and Kris Murray for a more expensive Ja Morant.
Portland even had to rush the trade to fit into the June window in order to avoid a trade bonus that would've pushed Morant's salary near $50 million annually. While that's a price Portland would be happy to pay were Morant to return to his All-Star form, that's not a calculated risk they want to be taking on at this stage in his career.
Blazers may have settled for Ja Morant after missing on other targets
Morant is still the highest-paid player on the Blazers roster, set to make $42.2 million this season and $44.9 million in 2026-27. Given how much injuries have unfortunately derailed his career, that massive salary makes Morant perhaps one of the most negative assets in the league.
However, Grant was also in that conversation, as it was apparent he didn't fit in with this rebuilding roster the second he signed the lucrative five-year, $160 million deal in 2023.
Portland's thought process was to flip a negative asset in Grant into a negative asset with far more upside in Morant. The increased salary and imperfect fit are worth the cheap talent upgrade, considering they didn't have to add any draft picks to the deal.
It remains to be seen whether that gamble ultimately pays off, though it aligns with Tom Dundon's trade approach with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes when it comes to buying low on distressed assets. The concern here is that Morant's fit is so bad that it makes you wonder whether this was the target for Portland all along or the one they had to settle for within the offseason window.
The Blazers previously expressed interest in multiple stars before landing on Morant, including Trey Murphy III (at February's deadline), Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, and even surprisingly LaMelo Ball.
It's not surprising that they wound up making a trade out of nowhere, as that's typically how general manager Joe Cronin has operated in the past. Part of what makes this Blazers team so exciting to cover is the unpredictable nature of Cronin's deals, whether it's sending Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks instead of the Miami Heat, stealing a rising star from the Washington Wizards in Deni Avdija, or even flipping Anfernee Simons into Jrue Holiday.
Ja Morant trade contradicts what Joe Cronin has built in Portland
But what is surprising is the extent to which Morant contradicts the roster Cronin has been building thin Portland. He formed a defensive identity with building blocks Donovan Clingan and Toumani Camara. Deni Avdija took a huge step forward as a primary offensive initiator. The logical step was to add more shooting while continuing to bolster that defensive identity. In other words, continue building around Avdija.
Portland was going star hunting this offseason, but the expectation was they'd find a co-star who complemented Avdija's game and the rest of their young core already in place. The fact that they added a non-shooting, defensive liability in Morant makes this seem more of a Dundon move rather than a Cronin one.
Regardless, the Blazers front office's rush to pull the trigger on a Morant deal in June is somewhat concerning, as it makes you wonder whether this was the plan all along or they settled for whoever was left. The timing of the trade bonus, the fact that other options already came off the board, and the anticipation that Dundon was looking to make an immediate splash in his first offseason as new owner make you wonder whether this trade was rushed.
Hopefully the talent prevails, and Portland's messy backcourt sorts itself out as the season progresses. But if this Morant experiment goes south, that salary increase from Grant to Morant could only make it harder to shed his salary and get rid of this negative asset.
At least they avoided that trade bonus, though the timing makes you wonder what the true intention behind this trade was. And if this was the plan all along, why?
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