The Memphis Grizzlies franchise player, Ja Morant, could be on the move, changing the trade market for teams looking for guard help.
The NBA Trade Deadline is fast approaching, with the official deadline being Thursday, February 5, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET. Trade rumors are heating up--as they do every year around this time--and while the Chicago Bulls aren't at the forefront of national conversations, some of the bigger names on the trade block could have ripple effects that change Chicago's trade deadline outlook.
On Friday, Shams Charania announced that the Memphis Grizzlies were open to trading Ja Morant.
Charania went on to say that in any deals for Morant, Memphis would be looking for draft picks and young talent in return. With Morant under team control through the 2027-28 season, there is reason to believe the Grizzlies will receive some solid offers for their polarizing guard, even with all the question marks surrounding him and uneven play this season.
Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor listed several teams he sees as potential suitors for Morant, stating that the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, and Miami Heat are the teams to watch in terms of Morant trades.
These are the same teams Bulls fans--and more importantly, the front office--should keep an eye on, as the teams that miss out on Ja Morant will likely still be searching for answers to their PG woes as the trade deadline approaches, perhaps with more urgency post-Morant trade. All of the teams reportedly targeting Morant, could definitely put together a lesser package for Coby White that still meets whatever the Chicago front office is looking for in terms of return.
Minnesota has already been connected to Coby White, and while Sacramento (been there, done that in terms of playing with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine), and Miami aren't necessarily seamless fits, they are both teams that could conceivably be looking for long term answers at the one.
Minnesota clearly needs point guard help, with Donte Divincenzo, Bones Hyland, and a near-retirement Mike Conley compromising their PG rotation. White would be the most explosive scorer to ever play next to Anthony Edwards, and the presence of players like Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels would obviously mitigate any defensive concerns with White.
Minnesota doesn't have much in the way of draft capital, but could some of their young talent be enough to entice Chicago? (Doubtful in this writer's opinion.)
Sacramento has guards in Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroeder, but neither player projects to be any sort of long-term answer at PG, on top of the fact that the team is playing so poorly in the present. With an extremely uncertain future, White could be a target for Sacramento as they recalibrate, and continue to stack former Bulls.
Miami--a team quite familiar with Coby White after numerous Play-In clashes--is an intriguing spot as they have one of the best coaches in the league in Erik Spoelstra, and Bam Adebayo is exactly the type of defensive talent you would want on the floor next to White. Tyler Herro might be an odd fit next to White as someone who is by no means a strong defender himself, but the explosive offensive firepower of a White-Herro backcourt might outweigh the negatives as long as Miami still had defensive minded bigs in tow in Adebayo and Kel'el Ware.
Ultimately, I do think that a Ja Morant trade would help the Coby White market. It wouldn't bring about any new, interested parties, but it would make the teams that have been keeping tabs on White put together their (final and) best offer. With Trae Young dealt to the Washington Wizards and off the board, the numbers of starter-level PGs on the market is dwindling, and fast. This current Bulls regime has not been known to move with urgency when it comes to moving off of players at their peak value, but a Morant trade could create a ripple effect that brings solid offers to Chicago, rather than forcing them to seek them out.