Grizzlies Trade Two-Time All-Star Ja Morant to Trail Blazers in Stunning End of His Seven-Year Memphis Tenure

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Grizzlies traded two-time All-Star point guard Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, ending his seven-year tenure with the franchise and completing a full teardown of what was once considered one of the NBA's most talented young cores.

In exchange, Memphis received forwards Jerami Grant and Kris Murray from Portland, along with $1 million in cash, according to multiple reports. ESPN's Shams Charania first broke the news of the deal. No draft picks changed hands in the trade, an unusually light return for a player of Morant's pedigree, reflecting how far his trade value had fallen across the league.

The Grizzlies marked the moment with a farewell message posted to social media.

"12, thank you for every highlight, every memory, every unforgettable moment and for all you've given this team, this community and this city," the Grizzlies posted.

Morant, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Murray State, won Rookie of the Year in 2020 and was named the league's Most Improved Player in 2022, a season in which he also earned his first All-Star selection and helped lead Memphis to a playoff series win for the first time in seven years. He earned a second All-Star nod in 2023 and was named to the All-NBA Second Team that same year, establishing himself for a stretch as one of the most electrifying young talents in basketball.

But Morant's standing within the organization and across the league deteriorated steadily in the years that followed. He served an eight-game suspension in March 2023 and a 25-game ban to open the 2023-24 season, both stemming from incidents in which he displayed a firearm on Instagram livestreams. Injuries further eroded his availability and effectiveness; he underwent shoulder surgery for a labral tear in January 2024 and dealt with additional elbow issues in the years since. Memphis also suspended him for one game this past November following a heated confrontation with head coach Tuomas Iisalo after a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, an incident that underscored a fraying relationship between Morant and the team's coaching staff. Morant's frustration with how he was being used reportedly factored into Memphis firing previously successful coach Taylor Jenkins back in 2025.

Those struggles culminated in a difficult final season in Memphis. Morant appeared in just 20 games before being shut down for the year because of his elbow injury, posting averages of 19.5 points, 8.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds while shooting career lows of 41.0% from the field and 23.5% from 3-point range. Over the past three seasons combined, injuries and suspensions limited him to just 79 total games. The Grizzlies had aggressively explored trading Morant before last season's trade deadline but found minimal interest around the league at that time.

Monday's deal marks the third and final piece of a complete roster overhaul in Memphis. The Grizzlies have now moved on from all three of their former franchise cornerstones since being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2025 playoffs, having already traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz in an eight-player swap and sent Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and four future first-round picks. Despite that trio's individual talent, the Grizzlies won only one playoff series in four postseason appearances together, and the team finished just 25-57 this past season, its first full campaign under Iisalo. Memphis now begins a new chapter built around Cameron Boozer, the franchise's recent high draft selection, and the additional draft capital acquired in its recent trades.

For Portland, the trade represents a significant gamble on a player whose talent once seemed limitless. Morant, who turns 27 in August, holds career averages of 22.4 points, 7.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. According to NBA TV's Chris Haynes, the Trail Blazers plan to start Morant alongside Damian Lillard and Deni Avdija, an unconventional backcourt arrangement the franchise believes carries significant upside despite the apparent overlap in ball-handling responsibilities. Charania reported that, for now, the Morant acquisition is being viewed internally as Portland's primary offseason move, with the team not actively pursuing a separate trade for Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown.

The backcourt picture in Portland is notably crowded following the move. Beyond Morant and Lillard, who returned to the franchise on a three-year deal after being waived by the Milwaukee Bucks, the Trail Blazers also have Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson on the roster, leaving questions about how minutes will be distributed among four players capable of handling point guard duties. Grant, 32, had spent the past four seasons in Portland after stops in Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, Denver and Detroit, averaging 18.6 points and 3.5 rebounds last season, while Murray, the No. 23 pick in the 2023 draft and twin brother of Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray, averaged 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds and is set to become a restricted free agent next summer.

Financially, Morant is owed approximately $42.2 million in 2026-27 and $44.9 million in 2027-28 under the maximum rookie extension he signed in 2022, the deal that locked in the richest possible terms following the best season of his career. Grant, by comparison, is set to earn $34.2 million next season with a $36.4 million player option for 2027-28, meaning the trade saves Memphis roughly $8 million annually over the next two seasons, assuming Grant exercises that option.

With NBA free agency officially opening Tuesday, the Morant trade marks an emphatic start to what figures to be an eventful offseason for both franchises, one defined by uncertainty over how Morant's talent will translate into an unconventional new backcourt in Portland and how quickly Memphis can build something new around its growing collection of draft assets and emerging young pieces.