---
title: "Grizzlies trade star Ja Morant to the Trail Blazers, reports say"
description: "The Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to trade Ja Morant, the electrifying guard who has been the face of the franchise for seven years, to the Portland Trail Blazers, according to reports — completing a remarkable dismantling of the team's young core."
category: "Sports"
category_url: https://newsparlor.com/category/sports
author: "Megan Chen"
published: 2026-06-29T21:04:00.000Z
updated: 2026-06-29T21:04:00.000Z
canonical: https://newsparlor.com/article/ja-morant-traded-grizzlies-trail-blazers
tags: ["nba", "ja-morant", "memphis-grizzlies", "portland-trail-blazers", "trade"]
---
# Grizzlies trade star Ja Morant to the Trail Blazers, reports say

The Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to trade Ja Morant, the electrifying guard who has been the face of the franchise for seven years, to the Portland Trail Blazers, according to reports — completing a remarkable dismantling of the team's young core.

The Memphis Grizzlies are trading Ja Morant, one of the most exciting guards in basketball, to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for forward Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, [ESPN reported](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49218970/sources-grizzlies-trading-star-ja-morant-trail-blazers) on Monday, citing sources. The deal has been agreed, the report said, though as with most offseason trades it is subject to being formally completed.

## The end of an era in Memphis

Morant, 26, arrived in Memphis as the second overall pick in the 2019 draft and quickly became the centerpiece of a rising team, winning Rookie of the Year and earning two All-Star selections on the strength of his explosive scoring and highlight-reel dunks. His departure all but completes a teardown: having been swept in the first round of the 2025 playoffs, the Grizzlies have now moved all three of the players around whom they built — Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. — and pivoted to a full rebuild.

## A career interrupted

Morant's recent seasons, though, have been turbulent. He has been limited to roughly 79 games over the past three years by a mix of injuries and league suspensions, including discipline in 2023 after he was seen displaying a firearm in social-media videos. His production dipped last season, and the combination of his talent, his contract and the uncertainty around his availability made him one of the most closely watched names of the offseason, [as reported by NBC Sports](https://www.nbcdfw.com/nba/ja-morant-trade-grizzlies-trail-blazers/3967553/).

## Portland's gamble

For Portland, acquiring a player of Morant's ceiling is a bold bet on a leap up the Western Conference standings. But it also leaves the Trail Blazers with a crowded backcourt, and analysts suggested the move could be a precursor to further trades to balance the roster, [Sports Illustrated noted](https://www.si.com/nba/trailblazers/onsi/trade-grade-blazers-ja-morant-grizzlies-blockbuster). For Memphis, the return of Grant — a proven scorer on an expiring-style deal — and the young Murray gives the franchise flexibility as it resets. Whether the gamble pays off for either side will be one of the stories of the coming season.