Ja Morant Responds to Trade Rumors
19 janv. 2026
Grizzlies Fail to Trade Ja Morant Before Deadline
Ja Morant was not traded before the trade deadline despite interest from several teams. The Memphis Grizzlies received no serious offers for their All-Star point guard, hindered by his availability issues and declining performance.
Jan 21, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) and head coach Tuomas Iisalo looks on during the third quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Photo Credit : © Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Ja Morant will ultimately remain in Memphis after the NBA trade deadline. Despite a month of negotiations, no team made an offer deemed satisfactory for the 26-year-old point guard, currently injured with a left elbow collateral ligament injury.
Ja MORANT
Position(s): Point Guard
Height: 188 cm
Age: 26 years (10/08/1999)
Nationality:
Stats 2025-2026 / NBA
PTS
19.5
#45
REB
3.3
#237
AST
8.1
#8
According to ESPN, several franchises were intrigued by the two-time All-Star’s talent. Memphis management had begun taking calls regarding Morant as early as January, without success.
Problematic Availability Deters Suitors
The main reason for this lack of enthusiasm lies in the player’s recurring availability problems. Since the start of the 2023-2024 season, Morant has played only 79 games out of 213 possible. This season, he has missed 29 of his team’s 49 games due to suspensions and a long list of injuries.
His current statistics also reflect this decline: 19.5 points, 8.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. One franchise executive confided by message that « you simply cannot count on his availability. »
ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst even mentioned a « negative value » for the player: « Teams were not willing to take Ja Morant unless the Grizzlies also added draft pick compensation. In other words, you have to pay us to take him. »
Memphis Continues Rebuild Despite Failure
Two days before the deadline, Memphis nonetheless continued its rebuild by sending Jaren Jackson Jr., Jock Landale, John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr. to the Utah Jazz. This transaction brought three draft picks to the Grizzlies, as well as Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks and Georges Niang, while creating a record trade exception of $28.8 million.
With the trade of Desmond Bane to Orlando last season, Memphis now has 12 first-round picks over the next 7 years to fuel its rebuild.
Despite this failed trade, Morant expressed his desire to remain in Tennessee. « I have a logo on my back, so that should tell you exactly where I want to be, » he declared, referring to his Grizzlies tattoo. « If anyone here knows me, I’m a very loyal guy. »
Ja Morant remained with the Grizzlies past today’s NBA trade deadline. Multiple teams were intrigued by Morant’s talent but none were willing to make a serious offer, sources told @ShamsCharania. pic.twitter.com/TfcyAjrI6J
— ESPN (@espn) February 5, 2026
According to The Athletic, the Grizzlies are not giving up on the idea of trading their point guard and could explore new options this summer. Morant remains under contract for two additional seasons, with salaries of $42.2 million in 2026-2027 and $44.9 million in 2027-2028, representing a significant financial investment for any interested team.
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