Ja Morant Expected to Be Traded This Week, Not Bought Out

Q: With Ja Morant now a negative asset, how much will Memphis have to pay a team to take him?

Memphis likely has to attach at least one meaningful draft asset to move Ja Morant, and possibly more if it wants a clean salary dump. That is the clearest read from league reporting. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said Morant’s value is “negative” and that Memphis would “have to attach at least a pick.” Other reporting says teams have already asked the Grizzlies for draft sweeteners, and that Memphis previously balked at doing so. The market has reportedly fallen from asking for real draft capital in return, to pick-swap level value, to mostly player-for-player concepts. How much depends on the structure. If Memphis is willing to take back an undesirable contract, the cost could be limited to one first-round pick or a lighter sweetener. If it wants cap relief or an expiring deal, the price likely rises. One floated scenario had Memphis attaching the No. 16 and No. 32 picks in the 2026 draft plus future firsts in 2027 and 2029 to send Morant to Brooklyn, which illustrates the high-end cost teams may demand for absorbing the risk. The reason is straightforward: Morant has two years and about $87 million left, plus a 15% trade kicker, while injuries, suspensions, declining production and off-court concerns have badly damaged his value. He has played only 79 games over the past three seasons. So the practical answer is that Memphis probably must pay with at least one first-rounder, and in a worst-case salary-dump scenario, multiple picks or pick-plus-young-player compensation.

Q: Which desperate NBA team will gamble on the high-risk, high-reward comeback of former superstar Ja Morant?

The Minnesota Timberwolves look like the clearest fit if a team is going to gamble on Ja Morant. The case is straightforward: Minnesota has been explicitly linked to Morant in league chatter, and rival executives view the Wolves as one of the more desperate teams to find a true co-star for Anthony Edwards. The additional reporting says Minnesota has been mentioned in major-star pursuits and is seen as a front office willing to take big swings even without the usual free-agent advantages. That matters because Morant is no longer a clean star acquisition. His value has cratered after injuries, suspensions, off-court issues, and a poor 2025-26 season in which he averaged 19.5 points and shot 23.5% from three. He has played only 79 games over the past three seasons and is owed roughly $87 million over the next two years, plus a trade kicker. League sources say Memphis is expected to trade him, not buy him out, but the Grizzlies may need to accept a modest return or even attach sweeteners. Other teams are less convincing. Miami had interest before landing Giannis Antetokounmpo, but that blockbuster largely took the Heat out of the Morant market. Phoenix and Sacramento have been floated as possible landing spots, and Brooklyn has appeared in speculative frameworks, but Minnesota is the team most clearly described as both motivated and willing to absorb the risk. So if one franchise is most likely to bet on Morant’s upside despite the baggage, it is Minnesota.

3 articles · Updated · HoopsHype · Jun 28

League sources expect Ja Morant to be traded this week rather than reach a buyout with the Grizzlies.
Miami had shown interest in the Memphis point guard before the Giannis Antetokounmpo deal, but that path now appears less relevant as trade talks take precedence.
The report points to a near-term resolution for Morant's future, with movement expected within days rather than later in the offseason.