When the Memphis Grizzlies shockingly traded Desmond Bane on June 15, questions surfaced regarding the future of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., the team’s two other longtime franchise cornerstones.
In light of the rumors, Yahoo Sports’ Vince Goodwill reported that the Miami Heat could emerge as a top suitor for Morant if the Grizzlies make him available in trades.
Speaking on his podcast, Goodwill noted that the Heat had inquired with the Grizzlies about Morant’s ability during the 2024-25 NBA trade deadline.
“Don’t think I’m breaking news here, but in the middle of the whole Jimmy Butler saga last year, one name that multiple league sources brought up to me was, ‘Hey, you might want to check on Ja Morant in Miami,’” Goodwill said, via Athlon Sports.
“And I didn’t understand the iterations of it. I was like, this is going to be a really complicated trade — A, because of Jimmy’s extension; B, because of Ja’s long money.”
Goodwill added that there were “iterations” of both Morant and Bane being shipped to the Heat as part of potential trade packages for Jimmy Butler.
What Miami Could Offer Memphis
If the Grizzlies do entertain the idea of trading Ja Morant, the Heat could build a package around Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic, and a few first-round picks. Fanspo’s trade machine approved such a hypothetical trade.
In the meantime, the Heat are said to be involved in talks with the Phoenix Suns over a potential Kevin Durant trade. According to multiple insiders, Durant has shortlisted the Heat, Spurs and Rockets as his three preferred destinations.
According to Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto, the Suns have named second-year center Kel’el Ware and veteran forward Wiggins as the two players they’d want back from Miami.
“The Suns have done background work on Heat forward Andrew Wiggins, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote. “Wiggins is owed $28.22 million this upcoming season and would likely be a part of any Heat trade package for Durant.
“A key factor in Miami’s chances of landing Durant could hinge on whether the franchise is willing to part with talented 21-year-old big man Kel’el Ware, who’s of interest to Phoenix.”
Will the Grizzlies Trade Ja Morant?
While it’s fun to speculate about the Grizzlies potentially trading Morant, and thereby hitting the reset button, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst doesn’t expect such a move — just yet.
“The next question is what about Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.? And I don’t know the answer to this. This is something that we’re just starting to trying to figure out with this trade,” Windhorst told “SportsCenter” on June 16.
“The whole league is now going to investigate this. We haven’t heard from the Grizzlies yet and if I was at the Grizzlies’ press conference this is the No. 1 question I would be asking. I wouldn’t be asking about Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, I wouldn’t be asking about Cole Anthony, I wouldn’t be asking about those four first-round picks. I’d be asking, ‘Do you intend to extend Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., both of whom are extension-eligible this summer?’ Is that what you’re doing now or are you pivoting the franchise?’ So, to me, that’s the big story emanating out of this trade.”
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