Winners, losers from Ja Morant trade to Portland Trail Blazers

The Memphis Grizzlies had been looking to move on from Ja Morant for the better part of a year. They had already traded away Desmond Bane (to Orlando) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (to Utah), but the market for Morant — the guy who would have brought in a massive haul just a handful of years before — was virtually nonexistent.

Memphis eventually found the best offer it could and made a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, sending Morant to the Pacific Northwest. Who were the winners and losers in this deal? Let’s break it down, but first, a reminder of who is in the trade:

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Portland receives: Ja Morant
Memphis receives: Jerami Grant, Kris Murray

Winner: Ja Morant

Morant needs a fresh start, a second chance. The opportunity to rehab his image, to go somewhere with a blank slate and write his own story. Again.

He gets that with this trade — and is outside the brightest of NBA media spotlights. Morant will get some space to breathe. He gets to be in a locker room with two of the best leaders in the sport, Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday. He will get the ball in his hands and an opportunity.

Morant could not have asked for more. Now it’s up to him. What does he do with it?

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Winner: Trail Blazers fans

New owner Tom Durdon has come down with a serious case of New Owner Syndrome — he is sure he knows best and wants to put his mark on everything — but despite all his PR mistakes, he has given Trail Blazers fans a team they can really rally behind.

It’s unclear — and maybe unlikely — that Ja Morant can ever return to his peak All-Star form. Scouts speaking to NBC Sports have said he looks like he lost a little of his burst. Even if that is true, he walks in the door as the best passer on the roster, and he knows how to get downhill and make plays.

It’s a huge, home run swing by the Trail Blazers — but those are fun to watch. Trail Blazers fans will go to games, tune into broadcasts and know they will be entertained. Maybe key guys stay healthy, new coach Micah Nori pushes all the right buttons — there is a good chance of that, he’s a great hire, even if he had to take an owner-friendly…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/winners-losers-ja-morant-trade-031230232.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-30 03:12:00

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