Insiders reveal the stunning truth as no team wanted Ja Morant, with some requiring draft picks to even consider him.
The NBA’s trade deadline delivered chaos across the league, but one of the most talked-about names never moved.
While contenders and lottery teams alike shuffled major pieces, Ja Morant remained with the Memphis Grizzlies, despite months of speculation suggesting his exit was inevitable.
From the outside, the logic seemed straightforward. Memphis had already pivoted hard into a reset, dealing Desmond Bane last summer and then sending Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah. The franchise was clearly stockpiling picks and redirecting its timeline toward younger pieces like Cedric Coward and Zach Edey. Around the league, the assumption was that Morant would be next.
Instead, the deadline passed quietly — and according to league insiders, that silence spoke volumes.
Appearing on Get Up, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst delivered a blunt assessment of Morant’s trade market that cut through months of hype.
“When I say he has no value, I don’t even think that’s accurate,” Windhorst said. “I think he’s got what they call in the league ‘negative value.’ That means teams were not willing to take Ja Morant unless the Grizzlies also attached draft compensation — in other words, you’d have to pay us to take him.”
That evaluation wasn’t an isolated opinion. Tim MacMahon echoed the same reality, noting that while Morant’s name surfaced in conversations, no team emerged as a serious bidder willing to absorb his contract without protection.
The reasoning, according to Windhorst, was layered and difficult to dispute. Morant’s availability has been inconsistent; his recent seasons have been disrupted by suspensions, injuries, and friction within the organization.
On the court, teams have noticed a shift as well — fewer attacks at the rim, more jump shots, and less efficiency doing what once made him elite. Add in two remaining max-salary years worth roughly $87 million, and front offices saw risk outweighing upside.
That combination fundamentally altered how teams valued him. Even franchises loosely linked to Morant, such as Miami or Sacramento, never progressed beyond exploratory interest. In at least one case, a team told MacMahon it would need to be incentivized just to consider the idea.
For Memphis, that reality made the decision simple. Attaching draft picks to move Morant would have directly contradicted the franchise’s broader teardown strategy. After spending months accumulating assets, burning picks to offload a player still under contract would have been a self-inflicted setback.
So the Grizzlies held their ground.
Morant, for his part, has repeatedly said he wants to stay in Memphis. Ironically, the lack of a market may have ensured exactly that — at least for now. With no pressure to force a deal and no offers that made basketball sense, the organization opted to wait rather than lock itself into a damaging move.
The takeaway around the league is stark. Morant’s talent is undeniable, but availability, reliability, and trajectory now define his value more than highlight reels. If his standing is going to change, it won’t happen in a front office meeting room. It will have to happen on the court.
For a player long seen as the face of a franchise, the reality check has arrived — and what comes next is entirely up to him.