Let’s discuss Ja Morant’s future for a quick minute.
The Sacramento Kings are consistently mentioned as one of the few teams — if not the only one — that might decide to get into the Morant business before the Thursday deadline. As of today, I can relay, per team sources, that they have still not completely closed the door on that idea. That being said, the percentage chance of this actually happening was placed in the low-single-digits when I inquired about it pre-Jaren Jackson Jr. trade.
The Kings’ minimal interest, for quite some time now, has been directly tied to the idea that Morant’s price point might drop so low, they’d be crazy not to do it. Especially if it meant getting off of a contract — like, say, Zach LaVine’s — that has long since been deemed undesirable. (The Grizzlies’ willingness, or potential lack thereof, to take LaVine back is unclear.)
If Memphis wants to make a Morant trade even more appealing to Sacramento, they could attach a first-rounder to the deal as an enticing sweetener. After today’s Jackson Jr. trade that netted the Grizzlies three first-rounders from Utah, they certainly have a few to spare.
As Mike Vorkunov noted, the Grizzlies now have 12 first-rounders in the next seven years, trailing only Brooklyn and Oklahoma City in that category. If they’re determined to do a Morant deal before the deadline, they might have to use some of those assets to get it over the finish line.