Bleacher Report has put Ja Morant back at the center of the summer trade conversation, laying out possible packages that would move the Memphis Grizzlies away from the previous era and into a draft-night reset. The clearest proposal sends DeMar DeRozan, De'Andre Hunter and a 2030 first-round pick via the Minnesota Timberwolves to Memphis.
That matters now because the Grizzlies will pick third in the upcoming NBA draft and Morant did not suit up after the break, leaving Memphis to decide whether it can turn a former All-NBA star into better long-term pieces before the market hardens again. Morant has two years and $87 million left, a deal that could still look workable now and ugly later.
Bleacher Report's Sacramento scenario shows why the timing is so delicate. The Kings would pick seventh and could take Darius Acuff, Kingston Flemmings, Mikel Brown Jr. or Keaton Wagler, then hand the ball to Morant over whichever rookie guard is not ready and try to rebuild his value. In that construction, Sacramento could probably get the deal done without even putting in the protected Minnesota Timberwolves pick, which says plenty about how softly Memphis may have to sell.
The same logic runs through the Chicago idea. Memphis would get Patrick Williams, Jalen Smith, Rob Dillingham and the No. 4 pick, but the difference between third and fourth may not be enough for Memphis to treat that as a clean upgrade. Chicago is only now beginning a proper rebuild, which makes the fit more about taking a big swing on a player than about neatly matching timelines. Williams still has three years and $54 million left, so the contract math is part of the pitch as much as the basketball.
That is the friction for Memphis. Plenty of teams need shot-creators, but Morant's market was frigid at the last trade deadline, and that is why the Grizzlies may be staring at low-ball offers when they look to deal him this summer. Any trade that does not force Memphis to attach an asset just to move him would count as a win. The question is not whether there is interest. It is whether the first serious offer arrives with enough value to justify ending a run before the league has fully moved on.
For now, the passage of time and the shrinking amount of money left on Morant's contract may be the only things that can raise his price. If Memphis waits, the offers could stay thin. If it moves now, it may be choosing between imperfect return packages rather than finding a clean exit.
