The Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2025 playoffs’ first round, with Grizzlies All-Star Ja Morant suffering a hip contusion in Game 3, leading to his absence in Game 4.
Memphis selected Morant as the second overall pick in the 2019 draft. Since then, the team has only won one postseason series, and Morant has faced league scrutiny for displaying a gun on Instagram Live twice.
Some believe the Grizzlies should trade Morant this summer and focus on building around Jaren Jackson Jr and Desmond Bane. In such a scenario, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposes that the New Orleans Pelicans should acquire Morant.
Buckley suggested that the Pelicans offer Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, and a 2026 first-round pick in exchange for Morant, who has previously played alongside Zion Williamson as an AAU teammate.
“If they could just stay upright, they’d destroy defenses in transition and overpower them on pick-and-rolls,” Buckley wrote. “There is legitimate three-headed-monster potential with those two and Trey Murphy III, plus New Orleans would still have a solid supporting cast around it.”
Williamson, the 2019 first overall pick, signed a five-year, $197 million extension with the Pelicans in 2022. The two-time All-Star has played in just 45% of New Orleans’ possible games.
Morant, similarly, signed a five-year, $197 million extension with the Grizzlies in 2022. However, the guard has never played in more than 67 games in a season.
Williamson played 30 games for the Pelicans this season, averaging 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. Morant appeared in 50 games for Memphis, averaging 23.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists.
Should Memphis opt to trade Morant this summer, it will be fascinating to watch which teams make a move for the Murray State product.
