Ja Morant spoke to NBA reporters at Summer League in Las Vegas about the Memphis Grizzlies trading him to the Portland Trail Blazers.
For the first time since getting traded by the Memphis Grizzlies to the Portland Trail Blazers, Ja Morant spoke publicly about the blockbuster trade.
Morant is in Las Vegas at Summer League. He talked to NBA reporters about the Grizzlies-Blazers trade and said he's looking forward to playing in Portland.
"New home. New team. New organization," Morant said, via ESPN. "I get to show the fans in Portland a different Ja. It's like starting all over again. ... Over the years, I've grown a lot and learned a lot. My mindset changed. I go into things differently now. I feel more mature, and I'm ready to work.
"[Portland] is a very quiet spot, it's nice. I don't know if you all have been paying attention to me lately, but I've been kind of into nature. I feel like that's a bonus. I'm not hiking, but I go walking, ride a bike, I've been kayaking. Just being grateful for being alive and the things I do have and my family. And to now have a fresh start. It's just mind clearing."
Morant, who was traded by the Grizzlies to the Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, will wear No. 1 in Portland. The point guard wore No. 12 in Memphis.
A two-time All-Star, Morant appeared in 327 regular-season games with the Grizzlies and 22 playoff games. He averaged 22.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game in the regular season and 26.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game in the playoffs.
Memphis won just one postseason series in the Morant era. That was back in 2022.
"[The reaction from Memphis] was all love," Morant said. "It's some [fans] that might say bad things about me. I don't look at it like it's hate or anything. I just look at it as tough love from a family member. I have family members that do the same thing. I love Memphis, I love the fans, I love my teammates. ... It definitely was some good years."
Morant was the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Murray State. He's played in only 79 regular-season games since the start of the 2023-24 season.
Morant joins Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan in Portland. The Trail Blazers made the playoffs this past season despite Lillard not playing due to his Achilles tear. They didn't bring Tiago Splitter back as head coach, though.
Splitter was hired by the Chicago Bulls, while the Blazers hired Micah Nori.
Portland envisions a starting backcourt of Lillard and Morant, per NBA insider Chris Haynes. It will be fascinating to see how Morant and Lillard mesh together.
It's going to be a while before the Grizzlies make the playoffs again. However, at least they have a young building block in Cameron Boozer, who won the Player of the Year Award last season. The Duke forward averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 55.6% from the field, 39.1% from beyond the arc and 78.9% from the free-throw line.
