1 overreaction trade The Grizzlies need to target amid Ja Morant’s latest drama

The Memphis Grizzlies the organization is on a downward trajectory, that is clear. After emerging as a major threat in the Western Conference for the early 2020s, they have gradually fallen until now where wins have become so difficult. To start the 2025-26 campaign, the Grizzlies have won just four of their first 13 games — with Team Ja Morant’s problem is getting worse and worse according to the second.

Morant choked in a certain dissatisfaction for a while now, and he’s about to hit rock bottom in his NBA career. He fell out with the coaching staff two weeks ago, earning himself a one-game suspension, and even that didn’t light a fire under him. In fact, his play on the field didn’t even come close to justifying the hardships he imposed on the Grizzlies franchise.

His effectiveness was pretty rotten; he’s shooting just 35.2 percent from the field, as his ability to get to the rim and finish once he gets there has declined significantly. He’s only 26 years old, and his injury woes seem to have already taken their toll.

He may be increasing his assist total, but his turnover numbers have been obscene, too — he turned the ball over eight times against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.

It will be sooner tempting for the Grizzlies to trade Morant. But here’s why they shouldn’t do that and instead focus on trading someone else.

Why the Grizzlies Shouldn’t Trade Ja Morant

For starters, the Grizzlies are committed to building around Morant. Morant is under contract for three more seasonsand the team was built with him in mind. There’s a reason Memphis traded for Desmond Bain, opting instead to fill the roster with lesser-used players. They wanted to calm Morant down and give him more control of the offense after there were some issues with his participation last season.

Trading Morant now reeks of panic. It’s a move made by desperate teams. While the Grizzlies are certainly feeling some sense of desperation in their tough times, letting go of one of the team’s best and most iconic players for pennies on the dollar after one bad stretch is indicative of a lack of stability within the front office.

There’s always a chance that Morant simply lurks in the sand hoping to win the trust of the Grizzlies to make another coaching change — this time to put someone he agrees with at the helm. Some believe Morant’s poor play was his protest of the way the team was running things. But tangent aside, the Grizzlies will likely make other changes first before deciding the way to go is to let go of their franchise point guard.

There’s also the matter of Morant’s trade value being at or near rock bottom. The Grizzlies will at least want Morant to bounce back from the worst stretch of his career before signing him.

Before trading Morant, the Grizzlies may want to make one last attempt to get the best out of this current core.

The Grizzlies are trying to unlock Morant and Cedric Coward with a blockbuster trade

Grizzlies acquire: Domantas Sabonis

Kings acquire: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Santi Aldama, Zach Edey, Vince Williams Jr., first seven protected 2028 first round picks.

(Trading is only legal from January 15, 2026.)

Speaking of players with reduced trade value, Domantas Sabonis clearly qualifies as a candidate to buy low on the trading market. Sabonis has been marginalized in the Kings’ offense, and the additions of Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroeder are taking away from what he does best (setting up shooters or dribblers).

The Kings star is at his best when used as an offensive center, but with Sacramento loaded with ball-handling players, there simply isn’t room for Sabonis to show his best offensively. They use him as a more traditional center instead of running the offense the way Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun do.

Sabonis from set to make $136.4 million over the next three seasons, which is a pretty penny for someone who doesn’t feature much in his team’s offense. This could pave the way for him to be available on the trade market — especially since the Kings seem primed for a tank year given their current trajectory.

If Sabonis were available, the Grizzlies should attack and trade for him. He’ll cost a lot in a trade, but should fit what the Grizzlies are doing anyway. He will make Morant’s life a lot easier, setting him up like De’Aaron Fox did in years past.

Fox thrived in an offense led by Sabonis as the screens he set allowed the speedy point guard to zoom past defenders and thrive in the mid/close range. With Morant no longer the freak of nature he once was, he needs help more than ever to create space when going downhill.

The Grizzlies lack the solid screens that Steven Adams has put the team through in the past, and Sabonis should help replicate that kind of bruising play, both off the dribble and on the boards.

Jaren Jackson Jr. needs a strong interior partner in the frontcourt, and Sabonis, the two-time league leader in rebounds in one year, is the perfect fit.

In this hypothetical trade, the Grizzlies would trade Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, creating a starting spot for newcomer Cedric Cowardwhich was brilliant to start his career. Santi Aldama will also be headed to Sacramento as a much-needed salary settlement piece as well as a frontcourt replacement for the departing Sabonis.

The rest of the pack gets tough for the Grizzlies. But trading Zach Eddy for Sabonis, who is only 29, should pay off. Edey is already dealing with an ankle injurywhich is not good for his already limited mobility. His ceiling as a contributor in today’s NBA also isn’t high if he can’t defend gap shots.

Vince Williams Jr. is a wing with the ball who could break out into a bigger role with the Kings. With recent lottery pick Edei included in the trade, the Grizzlies will include just one first-round pick, among the top seven protected picks in 2028.