The Memphis Grizzlies traded Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers, sending Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to Memphis. The move ends Morant’s seven-year run in Memphis and gives Portland a high-upside, high-availability gamble at age 26.
Ja Morant’s next chapter started with a transaction that felt less like a fresh start and more like a calculated reset.
After months on the trading block, the Memphis Grizzlies shipped the two-time All-Star guard to the Portland Trail Blazers. In return, Memphis received forwards Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. For Portland, the appeal is straightforward: Morant is only 26 and still has the talent to change a roster. The risk is just as clear. and it’s been piling up—off-court issues and a worrying pattern of injuries that has limited his availability.
Morant’s seven-year tenure in Memphis carried both extremes. He won Rookie of the Year after his debut season in 2019-20. flashing the kind of on-court brilliance that made him must-watch television. But repeated off-court issues and injury concerns derailed the rhythm of his final seasons with the Grizzlies. and the franchise ultimately concluded he was no longer a long-term fit.
For Memphis, the financial and roster math matters. Morant was set to earn $87.1 million over the next two seasons. and the team’s decision to move him—rather than let him sit and potentially walk without anything in return—has the shape of a win even if it doesn’t look elegant on paper. The trade gives the Grizzlies the chance to accelerate their rebuilding plan. bringing in pieces they can evaluate while they reset.
Grant arrives as a veteran presence for a Grizzlies roster that is still extremely young and will need help with ball handling and offensive creation. Grant averaged 18.6 points and 3.5 rebounds mostly off the bench in 2025-26. He is under contract this season and holds a $36.4 million player option for 2027-28.
Kris Murray, meanwhile, is a reserve off the bench and will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
Taken together, neither player is presented as a guaranteed long-term anchor for Memphis—something that fits the rebuilding context. The deal is described as getting done what it was supposed to do: reset the culture and move Morant.
The grading offered for Memphis was C+.
Portland’s side of the trade is where the tension really lives.
Morant’s market. by this point. had tightened to the extent that simply moving him was framed as success—even if it meant accepting less than what his promise once suggested. The on-court upside remains. But his availability has been the central obstacle, and the numbers show why the projections are difficult.
Morant played just 20 games last season. with much of that time attributed to Memphis keeping him sidelined to preserve whatever value still remained. Over the last three seasons, he appeared in 79 of a possible 246 games—just 32.1% of potential. The most games he has played in a single season was 67, his rookie year.
And yet, the counterweight is that he is still 26. Portland can reasonably gamble that there’s basketball left, if he can mature and keep his health steady. In that sense, the move is framed as low-cost in terms of what Portland shipped out.
But the roster fit and the defensive cost carry their own pressure.
Grant is described as not being a long-term fixture with the Trail Blazers, and Murray is characterized as expendable. The intrigue for Portland is that the trade suddenly gives the team an abundance of guards—talented ones. Morant’s weakness is his shooting; he’s best at getting to the rim. while his perimeter jumpers are described as shaky.
One way Portland could turn that into something productive is through lineup pairing. The possibility floated is that Morant could start alongside Damian Lillard, a sharpshooting point guard. Lillard’s shot-making is positioned as something that can mask Morant’s spotty jumper by drawing defenders and creating space.
Still, there’s a problem that doesn’t disappear: defense. Morant is described as a liability on defense, and Lillard is too. That pushes even more responsibility onto the rim protectors—centers Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams—whose job would carry heightened weight in any lineup that includes both guards.
There is also the trade-chess angle: with Lillard. Morant. Jrue Holiday. Shaedon Sharpe. and Scoot Henderson—who improved significantly last season as the year wore on—Portland could potentially move players in a complementary deal. The scenario explicitly mentioned is the possibility of a move for Jaylen Brown.
If that kind of endgame comes to fruition. the argument is that the Morant deal would end up being a big win because it would facilitate something bigger than the trade itself. But if Morant doesn’t mature or keeps getting sidelined. the risk is that this becomes another frustrating chapter for a team trying to stabilize its direction.
The grading offered for Portland was B.
Ja Morant trade Memphis Grizzlies Portland Trail Blazers Jerami Grant Kris Murray Damian Lillard Jrue Holiday Shaedon Sharpe Scoot Henderson Donovan Clingan Robert Williams Jaylen Brown