The Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade has sent shockwaves through the NBA, and the ripple effect seems to be the inclusion of other superstars in trade rumors.
One of the names that got brought up during the downtime of the All-Star break is Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies. Despite the polarizing nature of the young star due to his off-court woes, the idea of trading Morant was never mentioned until the Dončić episode at the 2025 trade deadline.
Is there any truth to the rumors?
A Ja Morant Trade Is Not Likely Says Grizzlies GM
Howard Beck of The Ringer mentioned on the “Real Ones” podcast that Morant would be a name to watch for during the 2025 offseason were the Grizzlies to have an early exit in the 24-25 NBA Playoffs.
“I'm constantly checking in with executives around the trade deadline about like…who's the next wave of stars that are going to get dealt…and somebody out of the blue said, keep an eye on Ja Morant this summer.” – @HowardBeck via @ringernbahttps://t.co/bhl979MUyU pic.twitter.com/PN4bgEwzXf
— Dru (@dru_star) February 18, 2025
“I’m constantly checking in with executives around trade deadline about like, OK, what we saw, what we didn’t see, what’s next, and in this league, you are always, always, always on the lookout for who’s the next wave of stars that are going to get dealt, right?
“We just saw the shock of all shocks with the Luka deal, we saw Jimmy Butler, there’s already whispers once again about Giannis (Antetokounmpo). And somebody out of the blue said, keep an eye on Ja this summer.”
It was not even really a rumor, just someone throwing something out there on a podcast, but it made headlines. Morant has struggled at times with his mental health, deactivating social media to step back from the noise and refocus on multiple occasions. Hearing this could certainly have an impact on someone’s confidence.
I reached out to Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman to see if he would comment about the recent speculation around Ja. Here’s what he had to say:
“I can’t blame other “executives” for fantasizing about us trading Ja. But it’s just that – fantasy. We are not trading Ja. Continue to…
— Drew Hill (@DrewHill_DM) February 19, 2025
Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman does not say much, and when he does, he often tosses a few word salads to avoid answering some questions directly. He plays things close to the vest. Kleiman wasted no time and minced no words addressing this unfounded rumor.
He told Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian, ““I can’t blame other ‘executives’ for fantasizing about us trading Ja. But it’s just that – fantasy. We are not trading Ja. Continue to underestimate Ja, this team and this city, and we will let our performance on the floor speak for itself. I’m not going to give this nonsense further oxygen and look forward to getting back to basketball.”
Morant is Memphis and has the Grizzlies logo tattooed on his back. Through his struggles, the city has loved and embraced him. Even if Jaren Jackson Jr. goes on to be the more productive player for the Grizzlies, Kleiman knows the impact of having Morant in Memphis. The fallout would be worse than that in Dallas.
