Kings may be the ones to actually make this heartbreaking trade

Since the Grizzlies put Ja Morant on the trade block, the Sacramento Kings have been connected to him. Despite recent reports that Morant doesn't want to go to Sacramento and the Kings don't want Ja, the trade might still happen. And it could really throw off the timeline of the whole rebuild.

As the trade deadline closes in, the rumors start flying faster and more frequently, with the winds changing direction quickly. That has definitely been the case with Ja Morant. The Grizzlies desperately want to move him, but most of the NBA isn't interested for numerous reasons.

There are two teams the rumor mill keeps circling back to, specifically the Kings and the Heat. That being said, Miami is the only franchise that seems to be consistently interested in Ja in these rumors. Sacramento's interest seems to come and go depending on whose sources are talking.

Frankly, the Heat remain the best fit for Morant. They have a well-established culture led by the longest-serving head coach in the league, Erik Spoelstra. The Kings simply cannot provide any of that, which could be integral to bringing Ja's career back from the brink of complete irrelevancy.

The Grizzlies are calling the shots, not Ja Morant

It was recently reported that Morant has no interest in playing for Sacramento. As such, it's safe to assume that Miami would be his preference in his exceedingly limited range of options. That being said, it looks like the Grizzlies might not actually care about what Ja wants in this situation.

Memphis is reportedly focused on what's best for the franchise, and Morant's personal preference is not a factor to them in the least. If they get the best offer from Sacramento, then that is where Ja is playing until his contract expires in 2028 or the Kings trade him to another team in the offseason.

To make this work, either the Grizzlies or a third team would have to take either Zach LaVine or Domantas Sabonis off the Kings' hands. Without one of those moves, the financials will not pan out and Sacramento would get gutted by salary cap apron penalties.

The hope in Sacramento must be that a change in scenery will get Morant back on track. But if he doesn't want to be there, it's unlikely he'll put the work in to become a real asset to the team. Hopefully, Ja proves his doubters wrong if he ends up on the West Coast.

There is real danger to the Kings in this trade

Morant's on court deficiencies have been well documented, assuming he's healthy enough to play. There have been a myriad of of personal issues, some of which have led to league suspensions. Plus, he carries himself with a toxic level of arrogance and seems to think he's the face of the NBA.

Yes, Ja can be the spark on the court that ignites the offense and is a walking highlight reel. But all of that only works when he's surrounded by teammates who can make up for the fact that he's a point guard who almost only calls his own number and is seemingly incapable of playing defense.

The point of the Kings' rebuild is to get away from guys like Morant, not invite more to move to Sacramento. They're arguably better off with Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis. Those guys are also expensive and bad at defense, but they're at least team players.

There's a very real chance that trading for Morant will completely derail the rebuild process, leaving the Kings to restart yet again when his contract expires in 2028. Bringing Ja on board comes with a lot of inherent risk. That's why so few teams have been calling the Grizzlies about trading for him.

Then again, it might be fun to watch Russell Westbrook educate Morant on how basketball is supposed to be played.