The Memphis Grizzlies are trading two-time NBA All-Star Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Chris Murray, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Monday.
The Grizzlies have traded all three of their former franchise cornerstones – Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. – since they were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2025 playoffs. The Grizzlies were once considered one of the most talented young players in the league, but ended up winning just one of their four-game playoff series with the trio on the roster.
Memphis is now entering a new era led by Cameron Boozer, the third overall pick in the 2026 draft.
Morant, 26, has played just 79 games over three seasons due to off-court issues and injuries since his second straight All-Star appearance in 2023. He joins a young Blazers team that just made the playoffs for the first time since 2021 and is headlined by breakout star Deni Avdija. However, Portland’s backcourt is already loaded with veterans, including Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard, who returned to the franchise on three-year deals after being waived by the Bucks.
Morant has two years and about $87 million remaining on his rookie max extension. Grant, 32, has one more year left on his contract before picking up a $36 million player option for the 2027-28 season, and Murray is set to become a restricted free agent next summer.
Some of Morant’s absences in recent years have been due to league-imposed suspensions. Morant served an eight-game suspension in March 2023 for conduct detrimental to the league, as well as a 25-game suspension to open the 2023–24 season, both of which stemmed from incidents in which he displayed a firearm on an Instagram livestream. The Grizzlies suspended him for one game last November following a heated confrontation with coach Tuomas Iisalo following a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Morant has also dealt with various injuries over the past three years, including shoulder and elbow problems that required season-ending surgeries.
The Grizzlies actively explored the Morant trade market before last season’s trade deadline but found minimal interest. Morant was injured before the deadline and did not play again for the rest of the season. His scoring dropped to 19.5 points, after dropping to 41.0% from the field and 23.5% from the 3-point line in the 20 games he played last season.
Morant, 26, has career averages of 22.4 points and 7.4 assists per game.
ESPN’s Tim McMahon contributed to this report.