The Toronto Raptors are facing off against the Memphis Grizzlies, who won’t have star point guard Ja Morant.
Morant is serving a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team after his actions in the team’s most recent game against the Los Angeles Lakers. While Morant won’t be on the court in Toronto tonight, perhaps there’s a chance for him to get to Canada later in the season.
Morant’s feud with the Grizzlies may be at a boiling point and his availability on the trade market could open up. The Raptors may be a team to watch in the Morant sweepstakes if he were to become available.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant reacts with forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
The Raptors have Immanuel Quickley as the starting point guard, but he has been inconsistent to start the season. Quickley would be a natural inclusion in a potential trade with the Grizzlies given the fact that Memphis would need a point guard.
The Raptors have been looking for ways to get RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes to coexist. It may be difficult to get those three to work together long-term because they all play similar positions.
Trading Barrett to the Grizzlies along with Quickley would give the Grizzlies an ideal package of players for Morant. The Raptors would also likely be willing to part with some future draft picks and the team has several to deal over the course of the next several years.
Toronto made the trade for Ingram last season, proving that the team is looking to make aggressive moves in order to get into contention. Adding Morant in a trade with the Grizzlies would certainly provide that.
The money doesn’t work if it’s a two-for-one swap, so the Grizzlies would have to add a player to make the salaries match. Veteran shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would help the salaries match for a trade.
This would give the Raptors a starting lineup of Morant, Caldwell-Pope, Ingram, Barnes and Jakob Poeltl. That provides more star power, balance and direction than what the Raptors currently have in the starting lineup.
The Raptors could also mix and match with players like Ja’Kobe Walter, Gradey Dick and rookie forward Collin Murray-Boyles in the starting lineup instead of Caldwell-Pope, giving the team some flexibility in lineups and rotations.
A trade may not happen in the immediate future, but the Raptors should definitely keep an eye on how the Grizzlies are doing with Morant.