Portland secures a dynamic playmaker for a bargain price, sending Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to Memphis as the NBA trade market erupts ahead of free agency.
The next groundbreaking NBA trade is complete with the Memphis Grizzlies sending star guard Ja Morant to the West Coast.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Grizzlies are sending Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers in return for a pair of players: Jerami Grant and Kris Murray.
The price for the Trail Blazers to add a new playmaker to the roster was remarkably cheap, likely due to the off-court stories that have led to Morant being, at best, an embattled star in Memphis.
For more on the trade and what helped the deal come together, Grizzlies Roundtable writer Sam Leweck has the latest.
This is the most recent in a slew of NBA trades that have sent high-profile players to a new destination.
Before Morant, star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets traded guard LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
There are even more moves expected as the Golden State Warriors reportedly intend to pursue a trade for forward Anthony Davis, in the hopes of luring LeBron James to the Bay Area.
It’s been an active trade market ahead of NBA Free Agency, which opens on June 30, with more impact moves expected to be on the way.
Morant heads to a Trail Blazers team that is under new leadership, having hired former Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori for his first head coaching job. Morant will provide him one of the NBA’s best playmakers in the process.
That is, if the guard can keep his off-field activities to a minimum.
