Grizzlies Trade Ja Morant to Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray in Blockbuster Move
Ja Morant is a Portland Trail Blazer.
The Memphis Grizzlies agreed to trade the 26-year-old two-time All-Star to Portland in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, closing the book on one of the most turbulent star tenures of the last decade. The trade was reported on Monday, one day before free agency opened, and became official once the league’s moratorium lifted on July 6.
For the Grizzlies, this is admitting the pairing was not working anymore. Morant played only 79 games over the last three seasons because of a combination of off-court issues and injuries. Since his second All-Star appearance in 2023, he had become a franchise headache in a market that was tired of the drama. Trading him for two useful rotation pieces is not a home run, but it is a clean break.
For the Blazers, this is a swing at real relevance for the first time in years. Portland is coming off its first playoff appearance since 2021, headlined by breakout star Deni Avdija. Adding Morant to a backcourt already featuring Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard, who returned to the franchise on a three-year deal after being waived by Milwaukee, gives them one of the most interesting guard rotations in the league.
Yes, the backcourt is crowded. That is fair. Lillard, Holiday, and Morant are three guards who all need the ball, and only two of them are going to play together at a time. Head coach Chauncey Billups will have to figure out how to keep everyone involved without breaking the offense or the vibe.
What this trade is really about is a fresh start for Morant.
The 26-year-old said publicly after the deal was done that joining the Trail Blazers felt “like starting all over again.” He gets a new city, a new home crowd, and a new set of teammates who have not been through the last few years of drama with him. That reset matters. He has the ability to be a top-10 player in the league when healthy and focused, and Portland is betting he will get back to that version quickly.
There is also the marketing angle to consider. Portland has a passionate fanbase and a young roster that has not had a true national star to hang a season on since Lillard’s peak years. Morant, at his best, is one of the most exciting players to watch in the sport. Rip City is about to get a lot louder.
For Memphis, the rebuild starts here. Grant and Murray are not going to replace the ceiling Morant provided, but they can help stabilize the roster while the team figures out who its next core is. The Grizzlies also get a fresh slate in the standings, which is not always a bad thing when you have been fighting off headlines for two years.
Both teams needed this deal. Both teams got what they wanted.
Now we wait to see if the version of Ja Morant who shows up in Portland is the one who reminded everyone why the NBA missed him in the first place.
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.
