06/29/26 08:41:00
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06/29 20:40 CDT Ja Morant is headed to Portland after the Memphis Grizzlies
trade the 2-time All-Star
Ja Morant is headed to Portland after the Memphis Grizzlies trade the 2-time
All-Star
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer
Ja Morant is headed to Portland, after the Trail Blazers and Memphis completed
a trade Monday night that sees the Grizzlies starting anew and gives the
two-time All-Star a chance to revive his career.
Portland sent forwards Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to the Grizzlies as part of
the deal.
It's a big swing by the Trail Blazers and could suggest Portland --- with new
owner Tom Dundon, whose Carolina Hurricanes just won the Stanley Cup --- might
not be done making moves. Morant adds to a logjam at point guard right now for
Portland, with Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard and Scoot Henderson also on the
current roster.
Morant has averaged 22.4 points for his career but has played only 79 games
over the last three seasons because of injuries and suspensions --- including a
25-game banishment after he was seen on a livestream holding a gun while he was
in the passenger seat of a vehicle. That came not long after an eight-game
suspension for flashing a gun in a Denver-area nightclub, also captured on
social media.
The suspensions, combined, cost Morant --- who was Rookie of the Year after
being the No. 2 selection in the 2019 draft, as well as the league's Most
Improved Player in 2021-22 when he appeared to be on a path toward superstardom
--- about $9 million in lost salary. He said in April 2025 that he's made his
peace with being a lightning rod for constant criticism.
"I'm kind of used to it," Morant said at that time. "I was pretty much a
villain for two years now. Every little thing, if somebody can say something
negative about me, it's going to be out there. So, yeah. I don't care no more."
Grant averaged 18.6 points last season for Portland and will be joining his
sixth team by going to Memphis. Murray averaged 5.8 points this past season for
the Trail Blazers.
Morant's MIP-award year in 2021-22 saw Memphis win 56 games, tying a franchise
record. That team was built around a young core four of Morant, Dillon Brooks,
Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane.
And now, they're all gone. Brooks played only one more season with the
Grizzlies after that and has changed teams twice since, Bane went to Orlando
last summer and Jackson was traded to Utah in February.
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AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this
report.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
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