The Portland Trail Blazers landed a franchise-altering star. Ja Morant is heading to Portland from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Jerami Grant, Kris Murray, and cash, a trade that changes the arc of both teams for the next five years.
Memphis has quietly been shopping Morant since June. Repeated off-court incidents, back and shoulder issues, and a locker room that has grown stale after two second-round exits made a fresh start attractive for both sides.
For Portland, this is a swing at the fences. Head coach Chauncey Billups now has Morant, Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan under contract for at least two more years. Add lottery pick Yang Hansen and the Blazers suddenly look like a Play-In threat in year one and a real playoff team in year two.
Morant is only 27 and has already made three All-Star teams. When healthy, he is one of the five most electric guards in the league. The health part remains a genuine question, though, since he has topped 61 games only once in his career.
Memphis is not tanking, but this is a soft reset. Jaren Jackson Jr. is still under contract, Zach Edey is developing, and Grant plus Murray at least keeps the Grizzlies competitive while the front office collects future picks. Portland sent out at least three additional first-rounders to complete the deal, per sources.
The Western Conference is now completely reorganized. With Morant in Portland, LeBron James still in Los Angeles, and Nikola Jokic anchoring Denver, the West has five teams that can legitimately claim they have a top-eight player in the league.
The pressure on Morant is enormous. His new team just gave up major assets to acquire him, and Portland fans have not seen a real playoff run since Damian Lillard was in his prime. Blowing that up would be a nightmare for a front office that has stayed patient through several rebuild cycles.
Training camp opens later this month. Morant will need to prove he can stay on the floor, take care of the ball, and be the leader the Blazers are paying him to be. If he does, Portland has its next franchise face. If he does not, this becomes one of the most cautionary trades of the decade.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
