I Morant had a ‘negative value’ in trade discussions

ByNBAUSA



The NBA trade deadline came and went, and reports claim that Memphis Grizzlies received little or no interest in Ja Morant. On Friday, ESPN Brian Windhorst revealed what he’s been hearing around the league about how the other 29 teams value the star point guard.

During the latest episode of ESPN’s “Get Up,” Windhorst stated that Morant, who is 26, had a “negative value” in trade negotiations. Which basically means that other organizations wanted the draft compensation attached to Morant as a type of insurance.

“When I say he has no value, I don’t think that’s true,” Windhorst said. “I think he has what they call negative value in the league. That means teams weren’t willing to take Ja Morant unless they included draft compensation. In other words, you have to pay us to take him.”

It hasn’t exactly been sunshine and roses in Memphis lately. Especially with the two-time All-Star. Windhorst’s comments suggest the league is losing interest in the Grizzlies star, something Kendrick Perkins is warned Ja Morant around Thursday shortly after the trade deadline.

Morant is in the third season of his five-year contract worth more than $197 million. He is set to become a free agent after the 2027-28 campaign. This season, Morant played in just 20 games due to a series of injuries. He is currently dealing with an elbow injury with an unknown recovery time frame.

In the games he did play, Ja Morant’s production dropped noticeably. The seven-year veteran is averaging 19.5 points (third career low), 3.3 rebounds (career low) and 8.1 assists (tied career best). He is also shooting 41.0% from the field (career low) and just 23.5% from beyond the three-point line (career low).





2026-02-06 18:45:00

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