NBA Teams Demand Draft Sweeteners to Take Ja Morant as Grizzlies Cut Price
Updated
Updated · Bleacher Report · Jun 29
NBA Teams Demand Draft Sweeteners to Take Ja Morant as Grizzlies Cut Price
3 articles · Updated · Bleacher Report · Jun 29
Summary
Memphis has lowered its Ja Morant asking price from draft capital to pick swaps and now to player-for-player talks, yet rival teams are asking the Grizzlies to attach draft sweeteners just to move him.
Two years and $87.1 million left on Morant's deal, plus durability concerns, are driving that stance: the 26-year-old has never played 70 games in a season and totaled only 79 over the past three years.
His 2025-26 production further hurt his value, with Morant averaging 19.5 points and shooting 23.5% from three during a limited campaign.
The market has also tightened as point-guard-needy teams dwindle—Minnesota is lining up a LaMelo Ball trade, and five guards went in the 2026 draft's top 10.
That leaves Memphis in a weaker spot than Atlanta faced when it moved Trae Young for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert without adding picks, suggesting a Morant deal may still be difficult before opening night.