The Ja Morant era in Memphis is over. The Grizzlies have officially traded their franchise point guard to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. For fantasy basketball managers, there aren’t many winners here — and plenty of reasons for concern on both sides of the deal. Let’s get into it beyond the fact that I don’t like this deal at all.
The case for Morant as a top fantasy asset has always rested on one giant asterisk: availability. That concern hasn’t gone away. He appeared in just 20 games in 2025-26 due to a calf injury and a UCL sprain in his left elbow, and has suited up for only 79 games over the past three seasons combined. When healthy, he’s a better player for points leagues than for 9-cat, because he still has issues with FG%, turnovers and a lack of 3s.
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The biggest issue with this deal is that Portland’s backcourt is a disgusting logjam. Frankly, I don’t get it. Jrue Holiday was the floor raiser they needed, with Scoot Henderson taking a step forward during the second half of the year. Now, Morant comes in, a high-usage PG, to throw a wrench in whatever available usage and opportunity exists.
It’s giving Milwaukee Bucks vibes, where all the guards will see a downgrade because the rotation will be frustrating to handle without any additional moves. For what we know right now, drafting Morant anywhere near the top-75 picks in 9-cat is not a good move, while points leagues, depending on the final roster come draft season, could still be in play as a mid-rounder. I just don’t trust his availability.
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The Portland Blazers backcourt —Damian Lillard, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Jrue Holiday, Deni Avdija
Everyone takes a hit here, starting with Damian Lillard. The future Hall of Famer didn’t play last season, but he’ll be back next year. Having four point guards, including Holiday and Henderson, is far too many cooks in the kitchen. Avdija led the Blazers in assists last season, and adding Ja surely infringes on every guard’s assist potential. Morant is such a ball-dominant guard; how will they be able to coexist?
Sharpe, who was the Blazers’ second-leading scorer at 20.8 PPG last season, now has to carve out his role in a more crowded offensive ecosystem. The whole backcourt is a mess, and until Portland makes another move, there are no clean fantasy plays here.
Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to Memphis
No real winners on the Memphis side either. Grant is 32 and heading for a full rebuild — I don’t think he’ll remain in Memphis for long, with the Grizzlies shifting their priority to player development. Murray isn’t fantasy relevant and Grant would be a late-rounder at best if he sticks with the Grizz.
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Final thoughts
This trade creates more fantasy problems than it solves. I don’t get it and it doesn’t make any sense considering how much existing talent Portland has on its roster. I’m left to assume that a bigger trade is coming and this is just the first domino to fall. Let’s hope that’s the case, because otherwise Portland guards will be a hard pass for me heading into the upcoming season.