Ja Morant’s move to Portland gives him something he hasn’t had in a while: a clean runway.
The former Memphis guard was shipped to the Trail Blazers two weeks ago in a deal that sent Jerami Grant and Kris Murray back to the Grizzlies, and it looks like the kind of change that could reset both sides. Memphis gets some future cap relief - about $8 million in savings for 2027-28 - while Portland takes a swing on a player whose value had slipped close to nothing after a turbulent stretch.
Morant’s time in Memphis never really settled after he signed a five-year extension ahead of the 2022-23 season. Suspensions piled up, injuries kept him sidelined, and the Grizzlies eventually moved into a full rebuild. Desmond Bane was dealt to the Magic last summer, Jaren Jackson Jr. went to the Jazz at the NBA’s February trade deadline, and with No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer now in the fold, Morant was the last big name left without a place in the plan.
Still, Morant sounds like a player trying to turn the page for real.
“I feel like over the years, I’ve grown a lot,” Morant said to reporters Saturday via The Athletic’s Jason Quick. “You know, I learned a lot.
My mindset changed. … I go into things differently now.
So, I just feel like I’m more mature. I’m just ready to work, y’all.”
That’s the version of Morant Portland is betting on. The past few seasons brought multiple suspensions, including one for flashing a gun on social media and another for conduct detrimental to the team after he challenged Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo last season. Morant says that chapter is behind him.
“I mean, obviously, I’ve done what I’ve done in the past, but it’s been addressed and handled already,” he said via The Athletic, “so I don’t see why, years later, that’s still the topic, when nothing happened since. You know?
And I felt like if I was that guy, y’all wouldn’t be talking to me now. I wouldn’t be here.”
On the court, the fit is a little crowded, but not without upside. Portland already has Damian Lillard, who is coming back from a torn Achilles next season, plus Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday.
Shaedon Sharpe is in the mix as well, though he’s more of a scorer than a creator. Deni Avdija, coming off a breakout, All-Star campaign, handled most of the on-ball work.
That makes Morant’s arrival less about handing him the keys and more about giving head coach Micah Nori options. With Lillard and Holiday in the room, Morant doesn’t have to carry everything, and that matters. It’s a lower-pressure setting for a player who has spent too much time under the brightest kind of scrutiny.
If things go right, Morant could fit into a young core that includes Avdija, Sharpe and Donovan Clingan. If it doesn’t, Portland still protected itself: Morant’s contract becomes an expiring deal next year, and the Blazers didn’t give up any draft capital in the trade.
That’s what makes this such an appealing gamble for Portland. The Blazers finished eighth in the West last season, earned the No. 7 seed by beating the Suns in the first play-in game, then were knocked out in five games by the Spurs in the first round. They’re not ready to chase San Antonio or Oklahoma City yet, but adding Morant alongside Lillard at least makes them a team worth watching.
And Portland seems to suit Morant beyond basketball, too.
“It rains a lot, I took fishing in the rain,” he said of his new home Saturday via ESPN’s Ben Golliver. “I feel like [Portland] is a very quiet spot, it’s nice.
I don’t know y’all pay attention to me lately but I’ve been kind of into nature so I feel like that’s a bonus for me also. I’m not hiking, but I can go walking, ride a bike, I’ve been kayaking lately.”
For Morant, that quieter backdrop may matter more than people realize. He’s talking like someone who wants the noise to fade and the game to speak for itself again.
“Just being grateful for, you know, being alive … the things I do have, my family, and to now have a, you know, a fresh start,” Morant said via The Athletic. “It was just mind-clearing.”
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