Grizzlies Should Target Joan Beringer in Any Ja Morant Trade With the Timberwolves

The Memphis Grizzlies have a bright future. There's lots to be excited about here. That said, the present outlook is a little bit complicated.

You guessed it: This is another Ja Morant article. Everyone's eager to see where the mercurial young point guard ends up for the 2026-27 season. Recently, the Minnesota Timberwolves have emerged as a potential suitor.

If the Wolves are interested in Morant, the Grizzlies should ask for one player in return.

No, not Julius Randle.

Although Randle would likely come in the deal. The player in question is young and doesn't make near Morant's money. Randle (or, less likely, Rudy Gobert) would be necessary to match salaries, but there's no reason for the Grizzlies to covet the veteran forward. His contract runs as long as Morant's, so the Timberwolves wouldn't even be able to sell the Grizzlies on cap relief.

Not Jaden McDaniels either. The reasoning here is different: Minnesota won't part with one of the best 3-and-D wings in the NBA. This is a player the Wolves need if they're bringing in Morant. Arguably, that holds for Gobert as well. That said, if Gobert is entrenched in the rotation, that leads us to the young big man the Grizzlies should target.

Joan Beringer.

Beringer just wrapped up his inaugural NBA season. It went well. He didn't see a ton of floor time, but he was productive when he did get on the court. Beringer averaged 17.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per 75 possessions, and his 0.4 Box Plus/Minus (BPM) was surprisingly solid, as it's relatively rare for a rookie to post a positive number in that metric.

Would the Wolves even part with such a promising young player?

Let's think about this from a different angle. Assuming the Timberwolves' rumored interest in Morant is legitimate, what would they give up for him?

It's well understood that Morant's value is at a low point, but Memphis has to get something in return. Neither Randle nor Gobert offers cap relief. They're both on contracts of debatable value in their own right, so it wouldn't be worth the Grizzlies' time to merely shift some money around.

McDaniels would have far more worth than Morant on the trade market. Bones Hyland is 25, as is Terrence Shannon Jr. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves have very little future first-round draft capital.

Perhaps Minnesota could entice Memphis with Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a distant pick swap, but the Wolves may prefer to move Beringer rather than hamstring their future flexibility. As for Memphis, as things stand, Beringer is likely the best young player the Grizzlies could ask for in a Morant deal.

At least he'd make their future a bit brighter.

Grizzlies Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Grizzlies. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.