We’ve had quite a run of big names in this year’s trade candidate series, including a few former All-Stars like Zach LaVine and Dejounte Murray. And as you may know, the Bucks have been connected to just about everyone who might be available this deadline. So today, we tackle one of the biggest names of them all: Grizzlies star Ja Morant.
The Player
Ja Morant, 6’2”, 174 lbs. point guard
Season averages: 19.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 8.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG, .410/.235/.897
This time last year, and certainly this time two
or three years ago, there’s no way Morant’s name would be connected to the Bucks. Yes, they had Damian Lillard back then, but until the 2023–24 season, Morant was one of the NBA’s premier young stars. Coming off consecutive All-Star berths and making Second-Team All-NBA in 2021–22, the 2019 no. 2 pick was Memphis’ franchise player. Morant was one of the league’s brightest young stars, a former Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player, and as such, untouchable in trade discussions.
But in March 2023, he was caught on Instagram Live with a gun at a nightclub, which led to him leaving the team to, in his words, “get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.” He apparently underwent counselling and then received an eight-game suspension from the league. If that counselling actually happened, it didn’t teach him a lesson: barely two months later, he was again seen on Instagram Live brandishing a firearm. That netted him a 25-game suspension the following season and league-sponsored counselling. He also faced legal proceedings after allegedly punching a high-schooler during a pickup game in 2022 and for threatening mall security in Memphis. Oh, and his dad has been ejected from multiple NBA games for going after officials in recent seasons. Finally, he sparred with Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo earlier this year behind closed doors, culminating in public statements that resulted in a one-game team suspension.
Maybe the second bout of counselling worked—he hasn’t flashed his piece in public since—but then injuries happened. From 2023–2025, he played nine games in one season and 50 the next. In January 2024, he underwent right shoulder surgery, then dealt with myriad back and lower body maladies the following campaign, plus continued shoulder issues. This year, he’s missed 22 of a possible 42 contests. And when he’s played, he’s not been someone befitting of the maximum contract he received in 2022. Yes, he’s never been a good shooter (career 31.1% from deep), nor very efficient despite getting to the line a lot. Still, his efficiency has been truly abysmal this year: his 52.1% true shooting ranks 191st out of 202 qualifying players, and his 44.1% effective field goal percentage is coincidentally 441st out of 477 who’ve appeared in an NBA game this season. Memphis has been better with him off the floor this year than on.
Knowing all this off-court baggage and injury, plus his underperformance this year, why on earth would you want this guy on your team? Despite his relative youth and dynamism, I completely understand why a sizeable chunk of Bucks fans aren’t going to be interested in this deal. This week’s Tuesday Tracker shows 48% of voters against acquiring the 26-year-old Murray State alum. Nevertheless, since it was reported on January 9th that the Grizzlies are considering moving him at the deadline, the Bucks have been speculated as an interested party. Then Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the team was indeed discussing Morant, and HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto said Milwaukee and Memphis engaged in trade talks (more on that below). For what it’s worth, Morant called himself a “loyal guy” last week and prefers to stay in Memphis.
The Trade
Here is my best attempt at trading Morant to Milwaukee that both makes sense and doesn’t make me wrinkle my nose. I constructed this as a three-for-three swap: while Memphis’ 15-man roster is full with guaranteed deals, and they’re far enough away from the tax that they could waive players to accommodate the needed salary-matching pieces from Milwaukee, they don’t have any obvious release candidates. Their only expiring players are 30-year-old Australian center Jock Landale and young wings GG Jackson II and Vincent Williams Jr. Anyone else they’d waive would need to be stretched over at least three more years, so while they could do a three-for-one and cut two guys, they could also reroute two players they receive from Milwaukee elsewhere and keep everyone.
Instead, here the Bucks use the minimum salary exception to take on Landale and the remainder of their room mid-level exception (left over after signing Kevin Porter Jr. last summer) to acquire Jackson. That keeps the Grizzlies at 15 while the Bucks don’t take back more salary than would be otherwise permitted. Memphis does still get some value here: Kuzma’s salary is expiring this offseason and could come in handy in a future trade. As disappointing as Gary Trent Jr. has been this year, he has a good track record and is affordable. Should he opt out of $3.8m in 2026–27, Memphis would have his Early Bird rights and can re-sign him for a first-year starting salary of up to $14.6m for four years max.
Porter can also opt out of his $5.4m salary next year, but is eligible for that same contract, as they’d also have his Early Bird rights. I question whether he has a future in Milwaukee: he was benched this week, his shot has fallen off a cliff, and would have the ninth-highest turnover rate in the league if he qualified. I also think he may be who Giannis is talking about when he alludes to teammates being selfish. KPJ is out indefinitely with an oblique strain, but it’s not as if the 18-24 Grizzlies are going anywhere with Morant running point, so they can hand the keys over to Cam Spencer for a while. Moreover, Porter and Trent are veterans who could be retained easily. They would create a solid-enough backcourt post-Morant around building blocks Jaylen Wells, Cedric Coward, and Spencer, plus Scottie Pippen Jr. and Ty Jerome once healthy.
Scotto also reported that “the Grizzlies have desired Milwaukee’s 2031 or 2032 first-round pick and Most Improved Player of the Year candidate Ryan Rollins” in the Morant talks with the Bucks. Any Milwaukee first and/or Ryan Rollins is an unequivocal non-starter. This is not the Ja Morant of three years ago: this is the Ja Morant who shoots terribly, has behaved terribly off-court, and has hardly been healthy. A first-round pick, let alone one when Giannis will be 36 or 37 years old, or a promising two-way combo guard aged 23, is laughable. After Trae Young was dealt to the Wizards without them having to include any draft assets, there’s zero reason the Bucks should include picks for Morant. Young has a higher salary, is a year older, and really not any better.
Furthermore, Young can opt out of his contract this summer, and seems likely to extend in Washington. Meanwhile, Morant has two years and $87.1m remaining on his deal. Frankly, bailing the Grizzlies out of all that money is a favor, so they should be including assets in any Morant trade, especially given his injuries and makeup problems. That’s why Milwaukee should be accepting nothing less than several plus assets, be they players or draft picks, to get Memphis out of the Ja business.
Even if Morant’s entire situation is worse than Young’s, plus an extra year and $38.1m due, I don’t think the Grizzlies will need to include a first to move off him. A couple far-off seconds (note: in 2031, the pick Memphis is sending would actually be the most favorable of theirs, Miami’s, or Indiana’s) seems fair, though. They also give up Landale, who’s having a career-best season, and shouldn’t be playing ahead of Santi Aldama or Zach Edey, when the latter returns from injury. Finally, Jackson has a textbook NBA frame and showed flashes as a rookie, but doesn’t play all that much off their bench, and his three-point shot has regressed. A lottery ticket worth it for Milwaukee.
All told, this trade saves Memphis a minimum of $57.5m over the next two seasons, even if KPJ and GTJ opt in. For those savings, give Milwaukee something for their trouble.
The Fit
In short, it’s bad. Morant shoots poorly, isn’t a quality defender, has injury concerns, and character issues. Would he be good for the team’s culture? Doubtful. Would he be a positive locker room presence? Not banking on it. Would he improve this disappointing Bucks team? Well… yes. A lot of guys would.
That’s more because of this roster’s lack of talent than anything else, but he’d be the second-best player on many teams right now, not just Milwaukee. He does some things well, to be sure. He’s a gifted passer who’s never averaged fewer than 7.3 APG and gets to the line as well as almost anyone. Milwaukee has been horrendous nearly all season during non-Giannis minutes, and at least with Morant out there, they could break even: he can still take over games.
The issue is playing with Giannis, who already seems a bit displeased that the ball isn’t in his hands enough. Morant is ball-dominant, and while that can work alongside Giannis (he and Lillard were among the league’s top 10 pick-and-roll duos last year by points per possession), his outside shot is bad enough that you can’t even squint to see it work. He certainly won’t help perimeter defense; he’d need to be hidden while Ryan Rollins (since there’s nobody else) deals with the point of attack. I think he and Giannis could be a statistically great combo in the pick-and-roll, but would that equate to team success as it did with Dame? I have my druthers.
My primary question here is: would Giannis like playing with Morant? If Giannis is into the idea and makes him more likely to extend when eligible in October, then I can get down with this deal. You also have an extra couple seconds to use in whichever way, a flyer on a young wing, and a decent big man who could replace some of Bobby Portis’ production, should he be moved. It would also be fine if Milwaukee took a little less value alongside Morant than the seconds, Jackson, and Landale, but they should try to squeeze out what they can. If Giannis doesn’t seem excited about playing with Morant, then better to save your salary-matching pieces for a better fit.
What say you? Is this offer palatable enough for you to say yes to Morant? Would the Bucks need to receive more for you to hold your nose, and if so, what? Or should they just not bother altogether? Let me know.
