Envisioning four trade destinations for Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant…
1. Los Angeles Lakers
Of course, any list of trade destinations for an NBA superstar must include the Lakers.
LA wouldn’t be an optimal fit from a basketball standpoint for Morant, mostly because the team already has Luka Dončić and LeBron James on it, meaning LA needs wings and bigs.
At the same time, Ja could play a sort of off-guard, Allen Iverson-type role on the Lakers and still be really good.
Would LA be interested in adding Morant to their Luka-LeBron core? Probably not, but here’s what a potential deal would look like:
The Trade
Lakers receive…
– Ja Morant
Grizzlies receive…
– Austin Reaves
– Rui Hachimura
– Dorian Finney-Smith
If Memphis actually got to the point where they were open to offers for Morant, the above trade would get trumped by someone else unless the Lakers were willing to include first-round draft capital. A package of Reaves, Hachimura, and DFS along with a 2029 unprotected first-rounder and a 2027 top-four protected pick would be enough to at least keep Memphis on the phone.
But ultimately, the Lakers would hate to lose Reaves and two good role players for a guy in Morant who, while undeniably more talented than any three of those players, wouldn’t be what Luka and LeBron need most.
Ja’s larger-than-life personality and playing style would mesh perfectly with Hollywood, though, so it’s an awesome scenario to imagine from an entertainment perspective.
More likely, Ja would be interested in joining another squad where he can be option 1a, which leads us to another trade idea…
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