The Memphis Grizzlies’ path to a Ja Morant trade may have gotten more complicated, not less, after the Minnesota Timberwolves landed LaMelo Ball.
The Timberwolves agreed to acquire Ball and Josh Green from the Charlotte Hornets for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps and three future second-round picks, according to the Associated Press. The deal has not yet been approved by the league and cannot be completed until the NBA’s transaction moratorium lifts on July 6.
For Minnesota, the move answers a clear roster question. For Memphis, it may remove one of the most logical speculative landing spots for Morant.
That is the rough update for the Grizzlies: if Morant is going to move, the market now looks even tighter.
Timberwolves Just Chose LaMelo Ball Over the Ja Morant Question
Minnesota had been one of the teams most frequently connected to the idea of a splashy point guard move, and Morant made some sense on paper. The Timberwolves have Anthony Edwards in his prime, a win-now roster and a need for more high-end creation.
But their actual move was Ball.
That matters because the Timberwolves did not merely add a stopgap guard. They paid a real price for a 24-year-old All-Star-caliber playmaker who averaged 20.1 points and 7.1 assists last season.
Once Ball is in Minnesota, the Morant fit becomes far harder to picture. The Timberwolves would already have Edwards and Ball as high-usage perimeter creators. They also gave up Reid and future draft flexibility to make the deal, which limits the clean asset path for another major guard swing.
That does not mean Minnesota was ever close to acquiring Morant. In fact, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski noted this week that the Timberwolves were not pursuing Morant and were looking at other guards.
Now that “other guard” appears to be Ball.
Ja Morant’s Trade Market Has a Real Supply-and-Demand Problem
Morant’s talent is not the issue. At his best, he is one of the league’s most explosive downhill guards, a two-time All-Star and the kind of player who can instantly change a franchise’s offensive identity.
The problem is finding the team that both needs that player and is willing to absorb everything attached to the deal.
Morant is set to make $42.2 million next season and $44.9 million in 2027-28, according to SpoTrac. That is not an impossible number for a star guard, but it is a major commitment under the NBA’s current team-building climate, especially for a player whose availability has been a major part of the conversation.
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor also noted that Morant “remains likely to get traded” even though there was no clear landing spot.
That is a difficult combination for Memphis.
The Grizzlies may want to reset around a new timeline, especially after already reshaping pieces of their core. But a team trading for Morant has to need a starting point guard, have matching salary, possess enough assets to interest Memphis and be comfortable building around a player with both star upside and real risk.
There are not many teams that check every box.
Why LaMelo Ball’s Deal Could Lower Memphis’ Leverage
The Ball trade also gives Memphis a fresh reference point, and not necessarily a helpful one.
Charlotte reportedly received Reid, one unprotected first-round pick, three first-round swaps and three second-round picks for Ball and Green. That is a meaningful return, but it also reflects the reality of the modern market: even young, famous, high-upside guards come with questions that affect price.
Morant’s case is different from Ball’s, but the comparison is unavoidable. Both are dynamic lead guards. Both are expensive. Both come with concerns teams would have to price into a deal.
If Memphis is holding out for a clean star return or a massive pick package, the list of teams willing to meet that number may be shrinking.
That is why Minnesota’s move matters beyond the Timberwolves. It does not just take a potential Morant destination off the board. It gives the rest of the league another example of how front offices are valuing high-salary guards with risk attached.
Morant still has the talent to change the direction of a franchise. But after Ball landed in Minnesota, the Grizzlies may be staring at a colder market than they hoped.
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