Celtics rivals unlikely to trade for polarizing Grizzlies guard

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Celtics rivals unlikely to trade for polarizing Grizzlies guard

Souichi Terada · MassLive

Thu, Jan 22, 2026 ·

2 min read

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While Ja Morant was the talk of the league a few seasons ago, his stock has plummeted. The Grizzlies are also reportedly shopping him in trade talks ahead of February’s deadline, making him at least a notable available name.

But don’t expect a pair of Celtics rivals in the Heat and Bucks to deal for him, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. In a recent episode of the Hoop Collective , Bontemps threw cold water on any possibility of a Morant trade to either organization.

“I feel confident that Ja Morant will not be a Heat or will not be a Buck,” Bontemps said. “I don’t believe he’s going to Miami and I don’t believe he’s going to Milwaukee .”

The Bucks are currently going through a miserable season at 18-25, on the outside looking in of the East play-in picture. Milwaukee went all-in with a series of high-risk moves, including waiving Damian Lillard then signing Myles Turner . To the Bucks’ credit, they’ve consistently made huge swings to try and maximize Giannis Antetokounmpo ’s window.

But the Bucks haven’t made it past the first round of the playoffs since 2022. Fans recently booed the team in a loss to the Timberwolves last week, which also resulted in Antetokounmpo booing them back. So things aren’t going great in Milwaukee as it’s looking like a lost season despite actively trying to win.

What Milwaukee does at the deadline is the massive question. Antetokounmpo has found himself in more trade rumors compared to the past, especially last summer. But the Bucks have been hesitant to move their franchise star and future Hall of Famer.

The Heat are often in trade rumors when it comes to stars. Miami continues to be a preferred destination for NBA players. The Heat have been solid this season with a 23-21 record, though they’re still in play-in territory. Regardless, it doesn’t sound like Morant would be a particularly interesting trade target for him.

Morant at his best took the NBA world by storm as an electric young guard. But now he’s polarizing as front offices reportedly aren’t sure how to value him on the trade market.

He’s still only 26, about to enter the prime of his career. But Morant’s off-court issues and suspensions have been well-documented. But Morant can’t stay healthy, and when he is on the court, his effectiveness has gone down. It’ll be interesting to see how Morant’s trade market shakes out in the coming weeks.

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