Ja Morant’s “quiet” trade request to the Grizzlies paved the way for a potential Heat deal

There is I Morant played his last game for Memphis Grizzlies? After seeing Trae Young traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Washington Wizards, Morant has become a focus around the league going into NBA trade deadlineespecially since his tensions from earlier in the 2025-26 season never went away.

The drama surrounding Morant and the Grizzlies dates back to well before this season, with his suspensions for tossing a gun during live broadcasts on social media and his vision for the team not always aligning with management’s, but the star quarterback’s agitation in Memphis escalated to a point of no return in late October when he entered the verbal altercation with first-year coach Tuomas Iisalleague sources told ClutchPoints.

For starters, firing Taylor Jenkins wasn’t something Morant always agreed with. He had a lot of respect for Jenkins, and even though they had their fair share of arguments at times, Jenkins and Morant were always able to overcome their differences and put the Grizzlies in a place to succeed.

The opposite can be said about Morant and Iisal, as constant anger emanates from them argument 31. oct they are not, and will not be, healed. Iisalo singled Morant ahead of the team after a 117-112 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, a game in which Morant was visibly distraught and the team’s energy as a whole was low as a result.

Morant didn’t hold back, as he shared his thoughts on Iisal and the coaching staff in the locker room, making statements that some of his teammates agreed with and letting him know when the situation was over, sources said. But for Morant, this moment was the spark that led to him hitting the market three weeks before the NBA trade deadline.

Although Morant did not and has not formally requested a trade from the Grizzlies, he and his camp made what team sources described as a “quiet trade request,” signaling to CEO Zach Kleiman and the front office staff that the two-time All-Star did not see a way forward based on how he handled the situation and that some teammates, who sided with Coach More, respected.

As the Grizzlies and Morant tried to mend relations and smooth things over, constantly informing rival teams inquiring about the guard’s availability that they would not trade him under any circumstances, the reality of Morant not finishing the 2025-26 season in Memphis became more and more plausible.

Kleiman and the Grizzlies haven’t reached out to teams that have specifically offered Ja Morant in trades or seen what they could potentially get for him, but various rival team personnel who spoke with ClutchPoints made it clear that Memphis has hinted that the star point guard is unhappy.

Soon, rumors began to circulate around the league, and conversations that Memphis’ front office was having with other teams began to leak. Now, the big news surrounding the Grizzlies over the past week is that they did fun offers to move Morant before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, something that has essentially been in the works since the Morant-Iisalo clash in October.

Tensions in Memphis haven’t eased a bit, especially with the team overseas to play two games against the Orlando Magic in Berlin and London.

I Morant trade on the horizon?

Morant, who hasn’t played since Jan. 2 with a calf injury, was naturally questioned by reporters before Thursday’s game in Germany about his status with the Grizzlies and whether or not he wants to be traded in the next three weeks.

While it was hoped that Morant would play in these games, that wasn’t going to happen, and the Grizzlies guard argued that he had to just “live with it” regarding all trade rumors.

Asked if he would stay with the Grizzlies after the trade deadline, Morant shot back and said, “Am I the only one you asked that question to?”

Tensions overseas continued to rise on Wednesday when Morant and Grizzlies wing Vince Williams Jr. were seen. verbally arguing with each other during open team scrimmage.

Ja Morant appeared to have a heated argument with Vince Williams Jr. during the Grizzlies’ scrimmage in Berlin 👀

(via @songulsoisall)pic.twitter.com/JdkPcopi3p

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 14, 2026

While it is unknown what either player said directlyNBA fan site LegendZ, known for reading lips and deciphering what’s said in conversations around the league, claims Morant told Williams, “I’m not kidding you, I’m with anything. Based on lip reading, it appears Williams told Morant to get off the court with him and “go back” multiple times before Morant yelled, “You’ve been here five minutes! You’re not like that.”

There has been no confirmation from the team or the players that this is exactly the dialogue that took place during the incident on the pitch. Team sources declined to comment on the matter when ClutchPoints asked for clarification on what happened.

So where do the Grizzlies go from here, knowing Morant doesn’t seem to see a way forward in Memphis?

As has been widely reported, Miami Heat have interest in exploring a trade for Morant, league sources confirmed to ClutchPoints. The Heat trade buzz got louder this week when it was revealed that the camp was a point guard views the franchise as an “attractive” destination and that he recently bought a $3.2 million house in Miami.

The Sacramento Kings, while not actively pursuing a replacement for Morant, also spoke with the Grizzlies earlier this season and recently about Morant’s value.

At this point, it doesn’t look like Sacramento wants to make a trade for Morant a priority before this year’s trade deadline, as Scott Perry and his front office will likely jump at the chance to do so only if Morant’s value matches Young’s with Atlanta. The Kings are not interested in trading assets for Morant, sources said.

It didn’t become a secret to anyone in the league that it was The Toronto Raptors are aggressive in the trade market and they are once again looking to make a significant move like they did a year ago by acquiring Brandon Ingram before the trade deadline. Whether or not the Raptors would consider a trade for Morant depends on the organization’s ability to move talents like RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl.

The Raptors are currently operating as buyers, and the organization appears more willing than ever to move starting point guard Immanuel Quickley. In addition to league personnel hinting that Morant is an option for Toronto, Anthony Davis is a known star-level player in whom the Raptors have interest. Domantas Sabonis is also connected to Toronto.

Should the Grizzlies move forward with the idea of ​​trading Morant before Feb. 5, Kleiman and his staff will do so with the mindset of trying to add draft picks and young talent to rebuild around star big man Jaren Jackson Jr. Whether or not Jackson envisions his future in Memphis in the post-Morant era is an entirely separate topic that leads Grizzia to many other questions.

As for Morant and his immediate future, the Grizzlies have three weeks to decide if now is the right time to start over and move past the drama that has plagued their season.