Grizzlies trade Ja Morant to Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant, Kris MurrayESPNMultiple AuthorsJun 29, 2026, 04:36 PM ET
tamil yogi
The Grizzlies on Monday traded Ja Morant to the Trail Blazers in a move that sees Memphis start anew and gives the two-time All-Star a chance to revive his career in Portland.
The Trail Blazers sent Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to the Grizzlies to complete the deal.
“12, thank you for every highlight, every memory, every unforgettable moment and for all you’ve given this team, this community and this city,” the Grizzlies posted on social media.
Memphis has now traded all three of its former franchise cornerstones — Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. — since being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2025 playoffs. Once considered one of the league’s most talented young cores, the Grizzlies ended up winning only one series in four playoff appearances with that trio on the roster.
Memphis now enters a new era, headlined by Cameron Boozer, the No. 3 pick in the 2026 draft.
Morant, 26, has played only 79 games in three seasons because of off-court issues and injuries since his second consecutive All-Star appearance in 2023. He joins a young Blazers team fresh off its first playoff appearance since 2021 and headlined by breakout star Deni Avdija. But the backcourt in Portland is already somewhat crowded with veterans, including Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard — who returned to the franchise on a three-year deal after being waived by the Milwaukee Bucks. Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe round out the depth chart at guard.
Editor’s Picks
Morant has two years and around $87 million left on his maximum rookie extension. Grant, 32, has one more year left on his deal before a $36 million player option for 2027-28, and Murray, 25, is set to become a restricted free agent next summer.
Some of Morant’s absences in recent years have been due to league-issued suspensions. Morant served an eight-game ban in March 2023 for conduct detrimental to the league and a 25-game suspension to open the 2023-24 season, both of which stemmed from incidents of him displaying a firearm on an Instagram livestream. The Grizzlies suspended him for one game in November because of a heated confrontation with coach Tuomas Iisalo after a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Morant also has dealt with a variety of injuries over the past three years, including shoulder and elbow ailments that have required season-ending surgeries.
The Grizzlies aggressively explored trading Morant before last season’s deadline but found minimal interest. Morant was injured before the deadline and did not play again the rest of the campaign. His production dipped to 19.5 points while shooting career lows of 41.0% from the field and 23.5% from the 3-point line in the 20 games he played.
Morant has career averages of 22.4 points and 7.4 assists.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon contributed to this report.
✔ today silver rate
✔ 2026 winter olympics
✔ chat gtp
✔ silver rate today
✔ silver rate today live
✔ 2030 winter olympics
Sports
