Ja Morant may be inching ever so closer to a new landing spot.
One front-runner has surfaced to trade for the disgruntled Memphis Grizzlies star Morant, Sam Amick of The Athletic said this week on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back.” Amick said that the two main teams that he has heard in connection with Morant are the New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings. Of those two teams, Amick added that he would “probably push it” in favor of the Pelicans.
Morant, the 26-year-old former All-Star, is expected to be sent packing by the Grizzlies this summer. Memphis went 25-57 this past season, and Morant is the last remaining piece of the team’s former Big Three (after both Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. were traded away over the course of the last year).
Meanwhile, Morant’s trade value is at a low point right now. He appeared in only 20 games during the season due to elbow and calf injuries, and the Grizzlies are now effectively desperate to shed the $42.2 million that Morant is owed in 2026-27 and the $44.9 million that Morant is owed in 2027-28 as well.
As for the Pelicans, they need an energy jolt themselves after going 26-56 this season. New Orleans’ backcourt is also largely underwhelming right now with the oft-injured Dejounte Murray, the inefficient Jordan Poole, and the 19-year-old Jeremiah Fears leading the charge.
We learned earlier this month that one other prominent trade suitor had pulled out of the race for Morant. But now it looks like the high-flying Morant might be getting a chance to remain in the Southwest Division with the Pelicans.
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