Memphis faces a major decision: Morant is no longer untouchable, and Boozer symbolizes the Grizzlies' new direction
The Memphis Grizzlies are entering the most sensitive period of their recent history, as the question around Ja Morant is being raised louder and louder, a question that only a few seasons ago seemed almost unimaginable: should the franchise trade the player around whom it built its identity. According to reports from American sports media citing ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the feeling around the league is growing that Memphis could already try to find a new club for Morant during the summer of 2026. Such a move has not yet been officially confirmed, nor is it known that a completed agreement exists, but the mere fact that a separation is being discussed after the draft shows how much the assessment of the team's future has changed. For years, the Grizzlies were tied to Morant's explosiveness, speed and status as the face of the club, but recent seasons have brought injuries, a decline in continuity and an increasingly clear need for a new roster. If the transition really happens, it would be the end of one era in Memphis and the beginning of a complete restructuring of the basketball project.
Cameron Boozer's arrival changes the tone of the conversation
The central reason for the new dynamic is the 2026 NBA draft, in which the Grizzlies, according to official NBA data and the club's draft page, used the third pick on Cameron Boozer, a tall player from Duke. The NBA draft profile states that Boozer was selected in the first round as the third pick and that he comes from a college program that traditionally produces players ready for the big stage. With that, Memphis did not merely add a talented young player, but gained a potential foundation around which a new team structure can be built. In that context, Boozer's arrival carries more weight than a standard draft pick, because it happened at a moment when the club had already moved away from part of the core that had previously carried its ambitions in the West. His selection is therefore interpreted in American analyses as a signal that the Grizzlies are no longer thinking exclusively about a short-term return to the playoffs, but about a longer-term reset.
According to the official Memphis Grizzlies draft page, the club also had the 16th pick in the first round, which further shows that the accumulation of young players and developmental options has become an important part of the strategy. Such an approach is not unusual for teams that, after injuries, expensive contracts and a weaker season, try to open a new cycle. The difference is that in Memphis this process is happening while Morant is still under contract and while, at least formally, he remains the best-known name on the roster. Because of that, every Grizzlies draft decision immediately gains broader meaning and becomes linked to his future. Boozer's arrival does not necessarily mean automatically that Morant's departure is inevitable, but it clearly reduces the need for the club to subordinate every future decision to one veteran with a large contract.
Windhorst's claim opened the question of the end of an era
According to Bleacher Report, which relayed Windhorst's assessment, Memphis could try to trade Morant during the current offseason, although an ideal trade partner has not yet been found. ClutchPoints also reported that Windhorst said during draft night that a separation was becoming increasingly likely, while noting that Morant's contract is a significant obstacle in negotiations. Such claims should be read cautiously, because no trade is official until clubs or the league announce it, and negotiations in the NBA often change from day to day. Still, Windhorst's information gains weight because it fits into the broader picture of Memphis' business over the past year. The franchise has already shown a readiness for major cuts, so Morant's name can no longer be viewed as completely protected from the market.
For Memphis, a decision on Morant would be demanding in sporting, financial and communication terms. He is a player who, during the best period of his career, turned the Grizzlies into one of the league's most watchable teams, and his style of play had a strong effect on the club's image. On the other hand, a team that wants to start over must assess the real value of a player with a large salary, reduced availability and an uncertain market price. According to Spotrac data, Morant's five-year contract is worth 197,230,450 dollars, and for the 2026/27 season it carries a salary and salary-cap hit of 42,166,510 dollars. That amount in itself does not rule out a trade, but it significantly narrows the circle of clubs that can or want to take on such an obligation without great risk.
Why the large contract makes the job harder
In the NBA, a player trade is rarely only a matter of talent, especially when it involves a contract the size of Morant's. A team that brought him in would have to find a way to fit within the league's financial rules, send appropriate value in the opposite direction and at the same time convince its own leadership that the risk is justified. According to Spotrac, Morant has guaranteed amounts even after next season, including 44,886,930 dollars in the 2027/28 season, after which he is expected to become an unrestricted free agent. Such a structure means that the buyer would not be getting a short-term experiment, but a multi-year obligation toward a player who must prove that he can once again carry a team through an entire season. That is why reports about a possible trade emphasize that Memphis does not have an obvious partner, although interest in talent of Morant's level should never be completely ruled out.
For the Grizzlies, on the other hand, Morant's departure would open space for a more complete shaping of the team around younger players and future picks. If Memphis primarily sought flexibility, it would probably have to accept a package that does not look like a classic superstar-for-superstar exchange. If it insisted on high value in return, it could run into a limited market, precisely because of the contract and health history. That gap between Morant's reputation and the current market reality is key to understanding why the deal is not simple. In such circumstances, clubs often wait for the market to open by itself, for example after other major moves, injuries or changes in the plans of ambitious teams.
The season that accelerated the reassessment
According to the official Memphis Grizzlies roster on NBA.com, Morant played only 20 games in the 2025/26 season and averaged 19.5 points, 8.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds. ESPN's statistics for the same season list the same averages, along with 41.0 percent shooting from the field and 23.5 percent shooting from three-point range. Those numbers do not erase his earlier value, but they show that the latest season was far from the level that would justify the status of a secure foundation for a long-term project. When a player with a maximum contract is not on the court often enough, the team's assessment necessarily changes, even if his peak remains very high. Memphis, meanwhile, finished the season in the lower part of the Western Conference, and StatMuse data lists a 25-57 record, which further increased the pressure on the front office.
The bad season was not an isolated problem of one player, but a symptom of the broader collapse of the old plan. In a few years, the team went from an exciting candidate for the top of the West to a roster that collects picks and tests new directions. Injuries, changes in the rotation and the loss of continuity reduced the clear hierarchy on the roster, while competitors in the conference continued to invest in more stable cores. In such an environment, Morant is no longer only a question of sporting performance, but also a question of priorities: does Memphis want to try once again to build around him or admit that the window of the previous core has closed. Boozer's arrival makes the second option more realistic than it was before the draft.
Bane and Jackson have already left
The context of Morant's possible departure cannot be understood without Memphis' earlier moves. NBA.com reported in June 2025 that the Orlando Magic acquired Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies, while a package of players and future picks went in the opposite direction. With that, Memphis had already begun turning an important member of its core into longer-term assets. In February 2026, NBA.com also reported that Jaren Jackson Jr., a former Defensive Player of the Year, was sent to the Utah Jazz in a major multi-player trade. When a team loses Bane and Jackson in such a short period, the question of Morant logically becomes the last major test of the franchise's direction.
Bane represented shooting stability and secondary creation, while Jackson was the defensive pillar and the most important big man of the previous core. With their departures, Memphis had already given up on the idea that the old team could simply be renewed through minor corrections. Morant therefore remained the most visible symbol of an era that brought fans energy, but not the final step toward a title. If he too were traded, the Grizzlies would send a very clear message that they are no longer repairing the old project, but building a new one. In that scenario, Boozer, young players and draft capital would become more important than a short-term chase for results.
What Memphis could seek
In the ideal scenario for the Grizzlies, a Morant trade would bring a combination of young players, more flexible contracts and future draft picks. Such a package would allow the new period not to be reduced only to patiently waiting for Boozer's development, but to a broader construction of the roster with several possible paths. However, the market for Morant will depend on how other teams see him: as a former superstar who needs a new beginning or as a risky contract that reduces financial flexibility. That difference in assessment can be enormous and often determines whether a deal happens quickly, late in the summer or only during the following season. Memphis therefore does not necessarily have to rush, but every delay carries the risk that the market narrows further.
A potential buyer would have to need a primary playmaker, have enough room for salary matching and be willing to accept the pressure that comes with Morant's name. Such a team would probably be somewhere between a complete rebuild and a serious attempt to jump toward the playoffs, because contenders with already shaped identities have a harder time taking on high-risk contracts. On the other hand, a club that lacks enough star power could conclude that Morant's talent is worth the risk, especially if the price drops. For Memphis, the hardest part would be finding a balance between the reality of the market and the need to show fans that it did not sell its best-known player below value. That is why negotiations, if they intensify, will probably be slower and more complex than the simple sentence that the player is “available” suggests.
Morant's status has not yet officially changed
It is important to emphasize that the Memphis Grizzlies have not currently officially announced a decision to trade Ja Morant. He is still on the club's roster, and the NBA's Grizzlies page lists him among the team's players. That means the current story is based on reports and assessments from league circles, not on a formally confirmed move. Such a distinction is especially important because the NBA offseason often produces a series of scenarios that remain only topics of conversation. Still, the circumstances in Memphis are significantly different than they were a year or two ago, so these rumors cannot be dismissed as ordinary market noise.
For Morant himself, an eventual departure could mean an opportunity to restart his career in a new environment. A player of his profile, when healthy and in rhythm, still has the ability to change a team's offense and create an advantage that few point guards can produce. But a new environment would demand stability, physical availability and clear confirmation that he can once again be the central figure of a winning project. For Memphis, meanwhile, the separation would be emotionally difficult, but strategically understandable if the front office concludes that the new generation cannot develop alongside constant uncertainty around the most expensive player. That is exactly why the coming weeks could determine not only Morant's address, but also the identity of the Grizzlies for the next several seasons.
A reset that is no longer just theory
Memphis has already made enough moves for the word “reset” to no longer be considered an exaggeration. Bane has gone to Orlando, Jackson to Utah, Boozer has arrived as the third pick of the draft, and Morant is being mentioned as the next possible major departure. According to the available information, the obstacle still exists in the form of his contract and the lack of a perfect partner, but the mere openness to such a move marks a change in philosophy. A club that for years was defined by Morant's athletic surges and the defensive identity around Jackson is now turning toward a combination of young players, picks and financial flexibility. It is not a quick or painless process, but after a 25-57 season and a draft that brought Boozer, it seems increasingly less likely that Memphis will simply try to bring the old core back to life.
If the trade happens during the summer, it will be one of the most important NBA moves of 2026, not only because of Morant's name but also because of the message it would send about the value of stars with large contracts in the new market environment. If it does not happen, Memphis will have to manage a sensitive situation in which the future of a player who still carries the best-known status in the locker room has been publicly questioned. Both options carry risk, but also the possibility of a new beginning. The Grizzlies have so far shown that they are ready for drastic decisions, and Cameron Boozer's arrival has given them the first recognizable pillar of the future structure. Now the question remains whether Ja Morant will be part of that structure or the last major departure from an era that ended in Memphis before it reached the greatest goal.
Sources:
- Bleacher Report – report on Brian Windhorst's claims that Memphis is considering trading Ja Morant during the summer of 2026. (link)
- ClutchPoints – report on Windhorst's comments during the NBA draft and the difficulties around finding a trade partner for Morant. (link)
- NBA.com / Memphis Grizzlies – official draft page with the Memphis Grizzlies' picks in the 2026 NBA draft. (link)
- NBA.com – official draft profile of Cameron Boozer and the information that Memphis selected him with the third pick of the first round. (link)
- NBA.com / Memphis Grizzlies – official roster and statistical data for Memphis players, including Morant's appearances and averages. (link)
- ESPN – seasonal statistical overview of Ja Morant for 2025/26. (link)
- Spotrac – data on Morant's contract, salary and salary-cap hit for the coming seasons. (link)
- StatMuse – overview of the Memphis Grizzlies' record in the 2025/26 season and position in the Western Conference. (link)
- NBA.com – report on the trade of Jaren Jackson Jr. from Memphis to the Utah Jazz. (link)
- NBA.com / Orlando Magic – official announcement on the trade of Desmond Bane from Memphis to the Orlando Magic. (link)