{"id":428295,"date":"2026-01-21T18:53:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T18:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/428295\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T18:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T18:53:08","slug":"nba-insider-suspects-ja-morant-is-using-giannis-antetokounmpos-trade-tactics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/428295\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Insider Suspects Ja Morant Is Using Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Trade Tactics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Memphis Grizzlies<\/a> superstar Ja Morant<\/a> has been the primary figure in a majority of trade rumors circulating the league lately. While the two-time All-Star has been linked with several teams over the past few months, a recent comment made by Morant added an interesting twist to the situation.<\/p>\n

Following Memphis\u2019 crucial win over the Orlando Magic<\/a>, Ja Morant admitted that his loyalties were with the Grizzlies<\/a>, reflecting his intentions of remaining with the franchise. While this could put an end to the rumors, NBA insider Jake Fischer<\/a> suspected that this may be similar to the trade tactic implemented by Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Grizzlies want to move him, and I don\u2019t think he wants to be there. I know he came out and said he\u2019s loyal, but every indication I\u2019ve gotten is that he wants to move on from this franchise, just like they do,\u201d Fischer stated. \u201cI think it\u2019s a similar thing to Giannis not wanting to come out publicly and say it\u2026I\u2019ve gotten every indication that both Ja Morant and the Grizzlies would like to start over.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is an interesting take from Fischer, especially when considering the kind of situation Giannis Antetokounmpo finds himself in with the Milwaukee Bucks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Although the superstar has repeatedly mentioned that he wishes to be a part of the franchise<\/a>, he has also emphasized that he wishes to be in a position to compete. In doing so, Antetokounmpo has subtly put pressure on Milwaukee\u2019s front office to make the necessary roster upgrades or risk losing him.<\/p>\n

In theory, Morant\u2019s approach may be considered similar, but the implications are quite different.<\/p>\n

In Milwaukee\u2019s context, the Bucks are heavily dependent on Antetokounmpo to the extent that trading him would effectively force the franchise to undergo a rebuild. This isn\u2019t the case for the Grizzlies, who have found a way to stay relevant (to some extent), even without Ja Morant.<\/p>\n

For the most part, the Grizzlies have appeared quite willing to part with Morant, despite his reputation as a franchise player. In this regard, his comments may not be as impactful as Antetokounmpo\u2019s, who remains a key figure in trade conversations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is Ja Morant Likely To Get Traded?<\/p>\n

It is not unreasonable to say that Ja Morant\u2019s position with the Grizzlies is weak. However, given what he is capable of bringing to the table when he is actually motivated, he remains a core figure in Memphis\u2019 rotation.<\/p>\n

Despite having an inconsistent season, Morant is averaging 19.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game. Although his impact on dictating success for the Grizzlies hasn\u2019t been noteworthy in this campaign, his recent performances are a clear indication of how valuable he can be.<\/p>\n

While the sudden uptick in production could suggest that the Grizzlies may be more inclined to retain him, if Fischer\u2019s report can be considered accurate, the current scenario may suggest otherwise.<\/p>\n

Until recently, Morant\u2019s trade value was quite low<\/a>, with teams like the Heat unwilling to even include a draft pick<\/a> in their trade offer. The recent surge could be a dedicated effort on behalf of the Grizzlies to boost his trade value and maximize their return<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Realistically, parting with the two-time All-Star may be better for the Grizzlies, who could benefit from undergoing a rebuild. Although reports indicate that teams such as the Bucks and Heat may not trade for Morant<\/a>, potential suitors like the Sacramento Kings could still help Memphis gain valuable assets in a potential trade scenario.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant has been the primary figure in a majority of trade rumors circulating the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":428296,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85],"class_list":["post-428295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=428295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428295\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/428296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=428295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=428295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=428295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}