Former Iowa standout Kris Murray is on the move again, and this time the landing spot is Memphis.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported Monday that Murray has been traded to the Grizzlies as part of a major swap that sent Jerami Grant and Murray from Portland to Memphis in exchange for two-time All-Star Ja Morant. The deal gives the Grizzlies a former Hawkeye with size, defensive versatility, and a chance to reset his NBA trajectory.
Murray’s numbers last season were modest: 5.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He shot 46.7 percent from the field and 28 percent from three, and he started 15 games for the Trail Blazers. In Portland, he carved out a useful niche because of his length and ability to defend multiple spots, and he was one of the team’s highest-rated players in defensive metrics.
The one area that has held him back is the jumper. Murray has not shot better than 30 percent from three in any of his first three NBA seasons, and that inconsistency has kept his offensive impact from matching his defensive value.
Memphis, though, offers a different kind of opportunity. The Grizzlies used the No. 3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Duke’s Cameron Boozer, who looks like a centerpiece for the franchise, and Murray enters a younger wing group that also includes Cedric Coward and Jaylen Wells.
Coward turned in a strong rookie season, averaging 13.6 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 47.1 percent from the field. Wells added 12.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Murray will also be battling for minutes with Grant, Karim Lopez, Taylor Hendricks, and others, but the roster gives him a real path to climb into the rotation.
The Grizzlies are clearly reshaping things around a young core. Along with Boozer and Coward, Zach Edey has flashed in his first two seasons in Memphis, though his second year was cut short after only 11 games because of a season-ending ankle injury.
For Murray, the assignment is straightforward: raise his offensive value. His defense and length already give him a baseline, but if the shot comes around, Memphis could be exactly the kind of place where he settles in and sticks.
The Grizzlies will first play in the Salt Lake City Summer League with the Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz, and Oklahoma City Thunder before heading to Las Vegas for NBA Summer League. If Murray suits up for Memphis in the summer, he could face fellow former Hawkeyes Bennett Stirtz, Payton Sandfort, and Josh Dix, all of whom are on the Thunder. Former Iowa sharpshooter Brendan Hausen also signed with Memphis for summer league after going undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft.
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