Portland’s Josh Hart trade has been one of the rougher marks on Joe Cronin’s ledger, but the Blazers may have already found a way to soften that blow. The surprise blockbuster for Ja Morant is off to a strong start, and if it keeps trending this way, it could make that old deal sting a little less.
The Hart move never really worked out for Portland. The Blazers sent him to the New York Knicks and, in return, got Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, Svi Mykhailiuk and a protected 2023 first-round pick. That pick became No. 23 overall Kris Murray out of Iowa, and he’s already no longer on the roster.
The Knicks, of course, had the far better end of that transaction. They enter the season as defending champions, with Hart a vital - and maybe still underrated - piece of what they built.
For Portland, the Murray part of the package never became much. His defensive versatility was there, but so were the shooting issues, and those limitations never appeared to take the next step. From the Blazers’ side, moving on made sense as an addition-by-subtraction play, especially with their shooting problems.
That same deal also finally cleared out Jerami Grant’s huge salary, another plus for Portland. Grant had been seen as one of the league’s biggest negative assets, and if the Grizzlies had to attach Morant to get the trade done, that says plenty about his market value too.
Still, the early returns are pointing Portland’s way. Through two games, Morant is putting up 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 impact is easy to see. Morant looks energized in Portland, and that kind of form only makes the Blazers better after last season’s seventh-seed finish. They still aren’t on the same level as teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs - or the Knicks, for that matter - but this trade is giving Portland real reason to feel better about where things are headed.
In Other News...
Charles Huff Rumors Add Tension As Memphis Faces A Huge Test
Charles Huff spent part of the week trying to put out the kind of noise that tends to follow a successful coach in November, denying he has had contact with other programs about possible openings even as rumors keep circling around his name. For Memphis, the timing is less than ideal, because the Tigers are trying to keep their footing in a season that still has plenty in front of it while also staring at a roadblock in Army and its stubborn, hard-to-prepare-for option offense.
The focus inside the building, at least publicly, has stayed on the task at hand. Huff has leaned into the challenge Army presents, while quarterback Marcus Stokes pointed to the importance of controlling tempo and matching the opponent's style with a full-team effort after a strong recent showing. For Memphis, the stakes are straightforward enough: stay locked in, handle the pace, and keep the outside chatter from becoming part of the storyline. [Read more 🡒]
Memphis Gets An Early Test That Could Change The Reid Hype
Memphis already got one useful exhibition look when it handled Mississippi State behind a 26-point night from senior guard Jayden Reid, and now the Tigers are walking into a different kind of measuring stick. John Calipari, the former Memphis coach, will have Arkansas on the other sideline at Bud Walton Arena, turning a preseason game into an early test with a little extra edge attached.
Arkansas is coming off a win over Gonzaga and is expected to be one of the stronger teams in the SEC, which makes this a good chance to see how far Memphis has come and how much of Reids early buzz can carry against a tougher opponent. For a team trying to sort out its identity before the games start counting, it is the kind of matchup that can reveal a lot without officially meaning anything in the standings. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Gets One More Frontcourt Test As Memphis Waits On Key Big Man
Arkansas is getting one last chance to stress-test its frontcourt before the games count, and Memphis provides a useful measuring stick in the final exhibition. The Tigers will bring forward Nemanja Popovic into the matchup after he turned in a strong showing in an earlier exhibition, giving Arkansas a look at a Memphis interior group that could shape the tone of the night.
For Memphis, the broader issue is less about one exhibition and more about what the roster will look like when the regular season arrives. Popovic is dealing with an NCAA eligibility dispute that could affect his availability, and the Tigers are still sorting through a group that includes several new pieces and possible absences. So while Arkansas gets a clean evaluation of its interior defense, Memphis gets one more chance to see how its frontcourt holds up while the larger picture remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]