Portland’s decision to move Josh Hart keeps looking worse, but the Ja Morant deal may help take some of the sting out of it.
For Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin, the trade ledger has mostly worked out well so far. The Hart deal, though, has become one of the exceptions. New York went on to enter the season as defending champions with Hart playing a crucial - and perhaps somehow still underrated - role in that run.
Portland, by comparison, didn’t get much back. The return for Hart was Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, Svi Mykhailiuk and a protected 2023 first-round pick. That pick eventually became No. 23 overall selection Kris Murray out of Iowa, and he’s already no longer on the roster.
Still, the Blazers ended up using that same Murray asset in the deal for Morant, and that is where the bigger picture starts to shift. Before that move, Murray’s value had been limited by his shooting struggles, even if his defensive versatility gave him something to work with. The hope now is that he benefits from a fresh start in Memphis, where he appears to fit the culture and identity the Grizzlies have built since the Grit and Grind era.
From Portland’s side, the move also accomplished something else: it finally cleared Jerami Grant’s massive salary off the books. Grant had been viewed as one of the league’s biggest negative assets, and Morant was apparently in that same conversation if this was the best package Memphis could secure.
So far, though, the early returns have been encouraging for Portland. Through two games, Morant is averaging 13 points, 7.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals while shooting 52/38/50 in 24.5 minutes per game.
It’s a tiny sample, but the fit already looks real. Morant seems rejuvenated in Portland, and that kind of energy could push the Blazers beyond last season’s seventh-seed finish.
Even so, they’re still not in the same tier as teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs. And they’re definitely not where the Knicks were with Hart last season.
In Other News...
Lauren Whittaker Is Giving Gonzaga One More Reason To Feel Dangerous
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Whittakers recognition this preseason only adds to the sense that Gonzaga has a team opponents will have to plan around from the start. She landed on the Becky Hammon Player of the Year Award Watch List, which tracks the top player outside the Power Five, a reminder that her profile now stretches well beyond Spokane. For a program already expected to win the Pac-12, having a player like Whittaker back in the fold makes the Bulldogs look even more dangerous. [Read more 🡒]
Davis Fogle Is Giving Gonzaga Fans A Bigger Debate Entering The Season
Davis Fogles rise is already giving Gonzaga fans something to chew on before the season even gets rolling. The Bulldogs forward landed on the 20-player watch list for the 2027 Julius Erving Award, the annual honor from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame that recognizes the top small forwards in Division I mens basketball, and it puts his name in the mix at a national level after being selected by a committee of college basketball personnel.
For Gonzaga, it is another reminder that the conversation around Fogle is only going to grow as the calendar turns. Fan voting opens on Oct. 30, and the award picture will keep tightening in the months ahead before the winner is chosen in late March 2027, so his name should stay in the spotlight for a while as the Bulldogs move into the new season. [Read more 🡒]