Sources: Why Grizzlies, Ja Morant split appears imminent before NBA trade deadline

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Sources: Why Grizzlies, Ja Morant split appears imminent before NBA trade deadline

Tomer Azarly, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Wed, Feb 4, 2026 ·

4 min read

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Sources: Why Grizzlies, Ja Morant split appears imminent before NBA trade deadline appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The Memphis Grizzlies have been active during this 2026 NBA trade deadline in trying to reconfigure the roster and move forward with a younger group of players. The season started with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant , and it will all but likely end with both of them off the roster.

Memphis traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic in the offseason and signaled that they want to build around their two stars: Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. In acquiring Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and four first round picks, The Grizzlies positioned themselves with some assets to improve the roster and a number of intriguing young players like Zach Edey , Cedric Coward , and Jaylen Wells , among others.

But Memphis' season quickly went downhill. Morant played in 11 of the team's first 12 games, but that didn't stop the Grizzlies from getting off to a 4-8 start to their season. The Grizzlies guard would go on to play in just nine of the team's next 37 games before the trade deadline, simply unable to stay healthy due to numerous, unfortunate injuries.

The Grizzlies continued to fall in the standings despite Jaren Jackson Jr. playing in 45 of the team's first 48 games of the season, which quickly showed that changes needed to be made.

Ja Morant Trade Talks

Ja Morant's name came up in trade rumors in November, after a heated exchange with Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo in the Grizzlies' locker room. Those talks were reignited as the team embarked on their trip to Berlin and London, as the team made it known they were fielding trade offers for the former two-time NBA All-Star.

Morant, sources said, has maintained that he never requested to be traded and has wanted to remain with the franchise to see things through. This despite Memphis signaling that they were not going to be offering him the three-year, $178 million contract extension he was eligible for.

The trade sending Jaren Jackson Jr. in a package to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday afternoon came as a surprise to Morant and Grizzlies players, one source said, especially given the fact that the big man just signed the new, renegotiated four-year deal with the Grizzlies franchise in July of 2025 — seven months ago.

Ja Morant has long insisted that he not be traded, expressing his desire to remain a part of the Memphis Grizzlies franchise and community. The guard is aware of his struggles to stay healthy, and wants the opportunity to improve things for the team and the city. But Morant also understands that the trade of Jaren Jackson Jr. now effectively ends this era for the franchise and signals a rebuild around the newer, younger pieces on the roster.

Grizzlies General Manager Zach Kleiman has been fielding trade offers for Morant for over a month now, and the asking price for him as been higher than that of the Hawks for Trae Young . But Memphis is not getting offers anywhere near what they're asking for, and there's an increasing likelihood they never will.

The Grizzlies also aren't working with Ja Morant on any trade packages, added one league source, and Morant's team is essentially in the dark on trade talks right now. This is not a collaborative situation like James Harden's with the LA Clippers or Giannis Antetokounmpo 's with the Milwaukee Bucks — if he does officially request a trade.

Morant would like to end up in a situation like the Miami Heat , a franchise led by Pat Riley and Erik Spoeltra that has done their homework on Morant in recent weeks, league sources said. In a perfect world, the Heat want to trade for both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant to pair with Bam Adebayo to make a run for an NBA Championship.

But in the last 24 hours, ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel has reported that the Heat don't believe the Bucks want to take their trade offer, and have since pivoted to potentially trading for Ja Morant.

The Miami Heat are also said to be open to signing Morant the three-year, $178 million extension he's eligible for, one source said, if they're able to land him in a trade.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are currently making a strong push for Giannis Antetokounmpo, league sources say, but could pivot to Ja Morant if their talks for the Milwaukee Bucks star fall through. The Sacramento Kings , sources said, would entertain such a move if it allowed them to get off the contracts of guys like DeMar DeRozan ($24.5 million) and Malik Monk ($18.7 million).

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