NBA Star Morant Traded to Trail Blazers, Grizzlies Enter Rebuild After 1-for-2 Deal

NEW YORK (CNA) - In a blockbuster NBA trade, the Memphis Grizzlies have sent their All-Star cornerstone Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for two players. Following this trade, the Grizzlies have lost most of the key players from their 51-win roster of the 2022-23 season and are preparing for a rebuild.

According to reports from Reuters and Agence France-Presse, the Trail Blazers acquired the two-time All-Star Morant in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray.

There were prior rumors that the Trail Blazers were also in discussions with the Boston Celtics to acquire Jaylen Brown, but it is currently unclear if Morant's arrival will affect those talks. However, the Trail Blazers did not use any draft picks in the Morant trade.

Morant has two years remaining on his contract, with salaries of $42.17 million for the 2026-27 season and $44.89 million for the 2027-28 season. He will become a free agent in 2028.

In his career thus far, Morant has played in 327 games, averaging 22.4 points, 7.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1 steal per game.

He was selected with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Throughout his professional career, he has missed over 100 games due to injury and has been suspended by the league for 25 games twice for displaying firearms on social media.

The Grizzlies finished last season with a 25-57 record, and the team has lost most of the key players from their 51-win roster of the 2022-23 season. Prior to the 2025 NBA Draft, the Grizzlies traded three-point specialist Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic and, before the February trade deadline, sent two-time All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz.

The 32-year-old Grant has played for five teams since entering the NBA in 2014. Last season, he played in 57 games for the Trail Blazers, averaging 18.6 points and 3.5 rebounds.

The 25-year-old Murray has just completed his third NBA season. He was the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and has played in 188 career games, averaging 5.3 points. (Compiled by Qu Hsiang-ping) 1150630

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