Grizzlies trade Morant to Trail Blazers for Grant and Murray

The Grizzlies traded Ja Morant to the Trail Blazers on Monday. Portland sent Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to Memphis to complete the deal. " Memphis has now traded all three of its former franchise cornerstones since being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.

The team won only one series in four playoff appearances with that group.

Morant's tenure Morant, 26, has played only 79 games in three seasons because of off-court issues and injuries since his second consecutive All-Star appearance in 2023. He served an eight-game ban in March 2023 and a 25-game suspension to open the 2023-24 season, both stemming from incidents involving a firearm on Instagram.

The Grizzlies also suspended him for one game in November after a heated confrontation with coach Tuomas Iisalo. Morant dealt with shoulder and elbow injuries that required season-ending surgeries. His production fell to 19.5 points per game while shooting career lows of 41.0 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from three-point range in 20 games last season.

Portland's roster situation Morant joins a young Trail Blazers team that reached the playoffs for the first time since 2021. The backcourt already includes veterans Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard, who returned on a three-year deal after being waived by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Grant, 32, has one year left on his contract before a $36 million player option for 2027-28. Murray, 25, is set to become a restricted free agent next summer. Morant has career averages of 22.4 points and 7.4 assists.