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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 29: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the NBA game at Mortgage Matchup Center on October 29, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Grizzlies defeated the Suns 114-113. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The Miami Heat<\/a> has emerged as a potential force in the Eastern Conference after executing a landmark trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n After a multi-month long saga, with the Heat battling the Boston Celtics<\/a> as the two teams most equipped to land Antetokounmpo, Miami won the trade sweepstakes and now looks to capitalize by building out the roster around its new franchise cornerstone.\u00a0<\/p>\n One name that has come up repeatedly in relation to the Heat\u2019s potential next move is Ja Morant<\/a>. With Miami\u2019s glaring backcourt needs, Morant, a two-time All-Star, might make sense as Miami\u2019s starting point guard next season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Miami Heat Given Hard-to-Ignore Message on Ja Morant GettyMEMPHIS, TENNESSEE \u2013 DECEMBER 30: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a> reacts during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> at FedExForum on December 30, 2025 in Memphis, Tennessee.<\/p>\n Should the Heat take a chance on Morant? NBA<\/a> insider Kevin O\u2019Conner thinks<\/a> the fit is certainly there.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe team that makes the most sense for Ja is Miami,\u201d O\u2019Conner wrote in an X post. \u201cThey have organizational stability and a clear need for shot creation after trading away so many ball handlers in the Giannis deal. Morant is worth the swing and could be a dynamic fit with Giannis.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n When healthy, Morant has looked like the blossoming superstar he was earlier in his career, especially when he was busy leading the Memphis Grizzlies into an intense postseason battle against the eventual NBA champion, the Golden State Warriors<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although O\u2019Conner sees Morant as a strong fit on the new-look Heat roster, acquiring the 26-year-old former All-Star via trade may do more harm than good.<\/p>\n \u201cOne big problem: The Heat don\u2019t have salaries that work financially for Ja (unless they give up Andrew Wiggins<\/a> and Nikola Jovic<\/a>, which would be dumb for Miami),\u201d O\u2019Conner wrote. \u201cIf the Heat even want Morant, the odds are they\u2019re hoping for a buyout.\u201d<\/p>\n Could Miami Be Waiting for a Morant Buyout? GettyMEMPHIS, TENNESSEE \u2013 JANUARY 31: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies reacts during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> at FedExForum on January 31, 2026 in Memphis, Tennessee.<\/p>\n If Morant isn\u2019t traded, there\u2019s a chance the Grizzlies buy out his hefty contract.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to multiple reports, despite the Grizzlies aggressively shopping Morant, no team has shown interest in the former lottery pick. ESPN\u2019s Brian Windhorst reported Memphis is \u201cstruggling immensely\u201d to find a trade partner for Morant.\u00a0<\/p>\n Unless that changes, the Grizzlies would be left with two options: attempt to restore their relationship with Morant and retain him, or simply buy out his contract, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.<\/p>\n That\u2019s where Miami would make a ton of sense for Morant.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe the buyout scenario is exactly where we are headed,\u201d O\u2019Conner wrote. \u201cBut given the flashes Morant showed the last time he was on the court, he could end up a steal.<\/p>\n With the Heat badly needing a star ball-handler after sending Tyler Herro<\/a> as a part of the Antetokounmpo trade, it would almost be silly for Miami to not at least experiment one season with Morant.<\/p>\n A trio of Morant, Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo<\/a> would deliver Miami one of the most talent-rich starting lineups in the NBA.\u00a0<\/p>\n Morant won\u2019t turn 27 until August; he probably isn\u2019t even in his prime yet. As the former face of a franchise that went from a bottom-feeder to a contender in the West, Morant has shown too much in the NBA to not be given a fresh start elsewhere.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAdel Ahmad<\/a> Adel is a writer with over five years of experience covering the NBA. His work has appeared on various media platforms, both national and local. More about Adel Ahmad<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty PHOENIX, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 29: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the NBA game at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":322153,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-322152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=322152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322152\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/322153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=322152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=322152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=322152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Philadelphia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/philadelphia-76ers-v-memphis-grizzlies-memphis-tennessee-december-30-ja-morant-1-e1782249477190.jpg\")
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