Ja Morant is on the move. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Grizzlies are trading the two-time All-Star to the Trail Blazers on Monday in exchange for forwards Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. It ends Morant’s seven-year tenure in Memphis with a potential new start in Portland. Morant was selected by the Grizzlies with the second pick in the 2020 NBA draft and quickly became the franchise’s star player. He led the franchise to back-to-back Soutwest Division titles in 2022 and ‘23, though the team failed to go beyond the Western Conferece semifinals. He broke out during the 2021–22 season in which he averaged 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player and earned second-team All-NBA honors. He followed that in 2022–23 by averaging 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game and earning his second All-Star nod. Then the problems came. In 2023, associates of Morant had an altercation with members of the Pacers after a game on January 29. The NBA launched an investigation that March after Morant displayed a gun during an Instagram live video he filmed at a Colorado nightclub. He was subsequently suspended by the league for eight games. On May 14, two months after that suspension, he was suspended by the Grizzlies for posting another Instagram video while flashing a gun. On June 16, he was suspended for 25 games. Morant returned to action in December 2023 after serving the suspension, but was only active for nine games as he needed season-ending shoulder surgery in early January. After the string of controversies and injuries over the last few years, entering this offseason it was clear Morant’s time in Memphis was over. He only played 20 games during the 2025–26 season and averaged 19.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.5 minutes per game. He is still only 26 and wildly talented, but he and the Grizzlies needed to part ways. Jerami Grant is the centerpiece of the Grizzlies’ return in the Ja Morant deal. | Petre Thomas-Imagn ImagesThis is a buy-low deal for the Trail Blazers, though Morant is owed a ton of money. He’ll make $42.2 million next season and is due to receive $44.9 million for the 2028–29 campaign. Memphis receives two solid players in return for its former star. Grant averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season while shooting 38.9% from three-point range. The 32-year-old is owed $34.2 million next season and holds a player option for $36.4 million for 2027–28. Murray is a reserve wing, who averaged 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 57 games this season. He shot 27.9% from three-point range and the 25-year-old offers limited upside. The former first-round pick will enter the final year of his rookie contract next season and will cost $5.3 million. The upside for Portland is pretty clear here. Morant is still young and if he gets it together, he’d pair incredibly well with star forward Deni Avdija. Add in center Donovan Clingan and the Blazers would have a young core with a high ceiling to build around. There is a ton of risk with this move, but the money is basically equal and Grant wasn’t going to be a long-term difference-maker for the franchise. It’s a deal that makes sense for both sides.More NBA From Sports IllustratedListen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow