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Ja Morant and his time in Memphis has officially come to an end. The Grizzlies have traded the two-time All-Star to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for veteran forward Jerami Grant and former first-round pick Kris Murray, bringing the curtain down on one of the most significant eras in franchise history.<\/p>\n
The move signals a complete reset in Memphis. Since being eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2025 playoffs, the organization has now parted ways with all three of its former franchise pillars: Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr.<\/p>\n
The team acknowledged Morant\u2019s impact shortly after the deal became official.<\/p>\n
\u201c12, thank you for every highlight, every memory, every unforgettable moment and for all you\u2019ve given this team, this community and this city,\u201d the Grizzlies wrote<\/a> on social media.<\/p>\n Morant leaves Memphis as one of the most electrifying players in franchise history, but his final three seasons were defined as much by injuries and suspensions as his play on the floor. Since making his second straight All-Star appearance in 2023, the 26-year-old has appeared in just 79 games.<\/p>\n League discipline played a major role in those absences.<\/p>\n Morant served an eight-game suspension in 2023 for conduct detrimental to the league before receiving a 25-game suspension to begin the 2023-24 season following separate incidents involving firearms on Instagram Live. He also missed significant time because of shoulder and elbow injuries that eventually required surgery.<\/p>\n His production also declined last season. Morant averaged 19.5 points while shooting career lows of 41.0 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from three-point range across just 20 appearances.<\/p>\n For Portland, the deal represents a gamble on a player who still owns career averages of 22.4 points and 7.4 assists. The Trail Blazers are coming off their first playoff appearance since 2021 and now add Morant to a roster that already includes Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and breakout forward Deni Avdija.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Memphis turns its attention toward a new chapter. The Grizzlies selected Cameron Boozer with the No. 3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and now begin building around a completely different core after closing the book on the Morant era.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Jaylen Brown Fires Back at \u2018AI Hoops\u2019 Criticisms<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n