The Memphis Grizzlies have finally rid themselves of point guard Ja Morant, sending him to the Portland Trail Blazers in a blockbuster trade that’s been years in the making.
“BREAKING: The Memphis Grizzlies are trading two-time NBA All-Star Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, sources tell ESPN,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote on his official X account on Monday.
Morant, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, was once considered the future face of the entire league but saw his career derailed by off-court issues and injuries.
In March 2023, Morant was suspended for 8 games after a video surfaced of him brandishing a firearm while intoxicated inside a Denver-area nightclub.
Just 2 months later, Morant was in another video brandishing another firearm and was suspended for 25 games — costing him approximately $7.6 million in salary. The Grizzlies signed Morant to a 5-year, $197.23 contract extension in July 2022 — a deal that still has 2 years remaining on it.
In the 3 seasons since his suspensions, Morant has only played in 72 out of a possible 246 regular-season games — including just 9 games in 2023-24 and 20 games in 2025-26.
When Morant was healthy — and staying out of trouble — he was 1 of the NBA’s most electric and popular players. Morant averaged over 25.0 points per game for 3 consecutive seasons from 2021 to 2024, including a career-high 27.4 points in 2021-22.
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