The league knows that the Sacramento Kings are willing to talk virtually any trade involving their veterans. And even they weren't desperate enough to take on Ja Morant, as reports indicate those trade talks were done before Morant was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Good luck, guys.
Saying the Memphis Grizzlies and Morant were done with each other would be the understatement of the year. If he were still on the team when the 2026-2027 season started, he probably wouldn't have even suited up. That's assuming Morant was healthy enough to play for once. It was a bad scene.
Naturally, the Grizzlies tried to trade the guy, but no other team seemed to want him for the same reasons Memphis didn't. Morant is obnoxiously arrogant, is constantly injured, plays crazy, selfish basketball, and can barely seem to keep his distracting off-court antics to a minimum.
Sure, Morant is a dynamic player who makes spectacular plays and was briefly considered the face of the league. But those days are gone, thanks to long absences due to injuries and league suspensions. Even the Kings weren't interested in trading for him, which was good for them as a franchise.
Morant and Kings have never been a good match
Talk of Sacramento trading for Morant had been going on since the 2026 deadline. They needed an energetic starting point guard, and Morant is that. Again, assuming he isn't injured or suspended. Those conversations came to an end, and Ja stayed in Memphis for the rest of the season.
Once again, rumors of talks between the Kings and Grizzlies regarding Morant surfaced just before the draft. Yet again, Sacramento shut that down, and any conversation about Morant was done. That was the right call by the Kings' front office in this situation as there was no good outcome for them.
Sacramento is looking to rebuild their roster with young, versatile players who can work together as a team. Morant is young, but he's neither versatile nor a team player. Plus, he can be toxic in locker rooms. None of that is conducive to the rebuild process the Kings are working through.
On top of that, Morant has two years left on his contract worth nearly $90 million. That's the exact scenario the Kings are trying to get away from. Sacramento is much better off hanging onto the players they're trying to move, including Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis.
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