No player is generating more trade chatter than Ja Morant, but is it all smoke and no real fire? Here are the latest Morant trade rumors.
Morant says he wants to stay
After missing six games with a calf contusion, Morant returned to the court in London on Sunday, scoring 24 points with 13 assists in the Memphis win over Orlando in an NBA Europe game. After the game, Marc Stein asked Morant if he wanted to stay with the Grizzlies, and he was clear he did.
"I've got a [Grizzlies] logo [tattooed] on my back, so that should tell you exactly where I want to be… If anybody in here knows me, I'm a very loyal guy."
What Morant wants may not matter. However, the Grizzlies may not have a choice but to keep him unless they want pennies from the dollar.
Is Antetokounmpo hurting Morant market?
Two things that we have consistently heard this season from league sources and reported here at NBC Sports: 1) There is not much of a trade market for Morant; 2) The Milwaukee Bucks are not going to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo during the season unless he demands it — and he said he would never do that.
Despite all that, the possibility that Antetokounmpo might be available for trade this summer could be hurting the Morant market now.
Take the Miami Heat, one of the rumored suitors for Morant. Memphis is seeking a young player and a first-round pick back in any deal for Morant. Miami doesn't want to get in the mix if it means sacrificing a player it needs to potentially chase Antetokounmpo this summer, reports Marc Stein at The Stein Line.
"One well-placed league source insisted to me that the Miami Heat should be scratched as a Ja Morant suitor — even if the terms are favorable—if such a move jeopardizes a future trade run at Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo."
To be clear, other factors have kept the Morant marketplace tepid: Morant's lengthy injury history (he hasn't played in more than six consecutive games in almost three years), his declining stats, and the fact that he is guaranteed $87 million dollars across the two seasons after this one. But Antetokounmpo is part of the mix, too.
The rubber will hit the road this summer with Antetokounmpo when the Bucks can offer him another max contract extension. A couple of times before, in this situation, Antetokounmpo used the threat of leaving as leverage, forcing the Bucks to make a big upgrade (signing Jrue Holiday, trading for Damian Lillard), then he signed the extension. This summer, teams are not so sure Antetokounmpo will sign that deal, and Milwaukee will be forced to trade him or risk losing him for nothing.
All of which has teams thinking past this trade deadline, something Zach Lowe discussed on NBA on Prime, explicitly mentioning the Heat as well as the Hawks, Warriors, and Lakers.
"[Those teams are] considering holding onto their assets for a potential pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo now or in the summer... If he doesn't take that extension, that's the same thing as basically demanding a trade… Right now, the Bucks are only 5-5 since he came back from injury. They are getting shellacked every second that he's off the floor on the bench resting. They're still in 11th in the East."
Interestingly, teams holding out for Antetokounmpo could leave the Bucks as the most serious suitor for Morant — Milwaukee is going to make an addition at the deadline, one way or another.
To point out what Bucks fans are screaming at their phones/computers right now, none of this means Milwaukee is going to trade Antetokounmpo this summer. He may sign the extension and stay, just as he has every other time he's been in this position. What is real is that other teams are preparing for the possibility that Antetokounmpo becomes available, and they are not going to give up a pick or a young player for Morant, who could be part of a blockbuster this summer.
Memphis fans love Morant
Another consideration for the Grizzlies — trading Morant would not go over well in Memphis.
Moving on from Morant would be "extremely unpopular" in Memphis, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on the Hoop Collective Podcast. While not as devastating, this has some Doncic-to-the-Lakers vibes, in that the front office would need a plan in place to deal with what would be a backlash from the community, where Morant is loved.
Jaren Jackson Jr. not looking to leave
It's a lot more wishful thinking than reality, at least according to league sources NBC Sports has spoken with, but there are still teams checking to see if Memphis wants to blow things up and trade its most valuable player, center Jaren Jackson Jr.
JJJ isn't looking to go anywhere, he just wants to know the plan, reports MacMahon of ESPN on the Hoop Collective Podcast.
"I poked around a little but about the Jaren Jackson Jr. situation, and my understanding is he doesn't necessarily want out. There have been people around the league who have suggested that's the case, I'm told that's not necessarily true. He just wants to understand what the plan is."
Maybe the Grizzlies ultimately decide to tear it all down and rebuild from the ground up, but that is not happening at the February trade deadline.