When the Memphis Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic before the 2025-26 season, it felt like Memphis had given up on trying to win now. The Jaren Jackson Jr. trade back in February made it clearer, and now, it is a full-on rebuild. The Grizzlies have moved on from Ja Morant, confirming a new era in Memphis.
Morant was dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday afternoon in exchange for veteran Jerami Grant and former first-round pick Kris Murray (via Shams Charania of ESPN). After a promising start to Morant’s career, things began falling off track due to injuries and multiple off-the-court incidents. Over the past three seasons, the former All-NBA guard only played in 79 out of a possible 246 regular-season games. During that time, there were multiple incidents involving firearms, the Indiana Pacers incident, and gun gestures on the court that led to a fine.
Now, both sides will get a fresh start, as the once exciting, turned tumultuous Morant era is over. It will be an opportunity for him to get his career back on track, and the Grizzlies to completely change course.
Third overall pick Cameron Boozer should now be the clear focal point for Memphis. With that, he may now be the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year. First and second overall picks, AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, are more likely to have to share the wealth in their situations. That is, assuming Lauri Markkanen and Jackson Jr. are allowed to play the entire season for the Utah Jazz.
Boozer was a first-team All-American during his one year at Duke, averaging 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds. Some analysts believe that Boozer was the most NBA-ready prospect in this 2026 class. The former Duke Blue Devil should have plenty of opportunities to prove so, as the Grizzlies have limited options.
With the current roster, Memphis will probably have trouble eclipsing the 30-win mark this upcoming season. That means another shot at landing a top-three pick in 2027. Highly touted prospect Tyran Stokes could accelerate the Grizzlies’ rebuild process if he lands there. The 6’7, 230-pound athletic combo forward has the size of a power forward, but creates off the dribble like a guard (via 247sports).
The shooting needs to improve, but Stokes has all the physical tools and playmaking ability on both ends to make an immediate impact in the NBA. After a likely one-and-done season at Kansas, Memphis could land another potential All-Star in Stokes to go along with Boozer.
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The Grizzlies will save around eight million dollars over the next two seasons with this move. Additionally, they add leadership with Grant, while moving on from a player who has not been right recently. Perhaps Morant can return to form at some juncture, but it just felt like it was not going to happen with Memphis. The once face of the franchise probably needed this just as much as his now former team.
There has been some backlash, as expected, from fans who do not see the point of “tanking” under the new lottery rules. Under the new system, teams that finish in the bottom three of the standings have a 16% chance of landing a top-three pick. Meanwhile, the remaining seven non-play-in teams have a 24% chance in that same range.
While that seems like a solid anti-tanking idea in theory, it may not matter with how insane the lottery can be. Before this past draft, the last time the organization with the best lottery odds ended up with the first pick was 2018. The 2025 and 2024 draft lotteries also resulted in the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks, who had odds of 11th and 10th, winning those lotteries, respectively. Having the best odds has not mattered as much as one may think lately. With that in mind, teams are likely to continue with tanking if they are not in championship contention.
The Grizzlies were not near title contention, so this was probably their best play. Memphis is also not considered a top free agent destination (as multiple players alluded to), so tearing it down makes even more sense. The 2026-27 season is an opportunity for the Grizzlies to evaluate young talent and hopefully be in a position to add Boozer’s co-star in the 2027 draft.
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