Ja Morant is not a blockbuster trade target anymore. He still has All-Star talent, but the value is not the same as it was two or three years ago. He played only 20 games in 2025-26, put up 19.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 8.1 assists, and then missed the rest of the season with a left elbow UCL sprain. The scoring and playmaking are still there, but the efficiency dropped hard: 41.0% from the field and 23.5% from three.
That is why the trade price is difficult. Morant is not cheap. His contract has $42.2 million in 2026-27 and $44.9 million in 2027-28. A team trading for him is not adding a low-risk star. It is taking on two expensive years of a lead guard who has had injuries, off-court noise, and a down season.
Still, this is the NBA. Teams pay for upside. Morant is 26, still one of the best downhill guards in basketball when healthy, and still creates the kind of rim pressure that changes a defense. If a front office believes his 2025-26 season was more about health and situation than real decline, there is a buy-low case.
The Suns and Bucks are two teams that make sense in different ways. The Suns need a real lead guard next to Devin Booker. The Bucks need a star swing to make Giannis Antetokounmpo stay after a 32-50 season. Neither team has a perfect package, but both have enough salary and enough logic to build a serious offer.
These are two blockbuster trade frameworks that could put Morant on the Suns or Bucks.
1. The Suns Turn Jalen Green Into A True Lead Guard
Phoenix Suns Receive: Ja Morant
Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Jalen Green, Royce O’Neale, Ryan Dunn, 2029 second-round pick, 2032 second-round pick
The Suns would be making this move for one reason: Devin Booker needs a real point guard next to him. Booker had another strong season with 26.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists while shooting 45.6% from the field. He can run offense, but that shouldn’t be his full job every night. The Suns already tried too many versions of Booker as both primary scorer and organizer. Morant would give them a different type of pressure.
The current Booker-Green backcourt is talented, but it is not a natural fit. Jalen Green gave the Suns 17.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 32 games, but his shooting was uneven at 42.2% from the field and 31.3% from three. His eFG% sat at 49.1%, which isn’t strong for a scoring guard on a big salary. He can score in bursts, but he doesn’t organize a team like a real point guard.
Morant would change the depth chart. Booker could spend more time as a scorer. Morant could attack the first line of defense, force help, and create easier shots for Booker, Mark Williams, Grayson Allen, and the rest of the rotation. The Suns finished 45-37, seventh in the West, with a 115.4 offensive rating and a 113.9 defensive rating. That is not bad for a retooled team, but it is not enough to scare the best teams. A Morant-Booker backcourt would at least give them a higher offensive ceiling.
The salary logic is simple enough. Green’s 2026-27 number is $36.3 million. Royce O’Neale is around $10.9 million. Ryan Dunn is on a rookie deal. That gives the Suns enough outgoing salary to get into the right range for Morant’s $42.2 million. The Suns also lower the guard overlap by moving Green, and they keep Booker as the main long-term piece.
For the Grizzlies, this is not a perfect star return, but it gives them a reset. Green is younger than Morant, still only 24 in 2026-27, and has a shorter contract. His deal has a $36.0 million player option in 2027-28, so the Grizzlies would not be locked into a long five-year situation. If he pops, they have a young scoring guard. If he doesn’t, the contract is easier to move than Morant’s.
O’Neale gives the Grizzlies a veteran wing who can shoot and defend. He had 9.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, and he hit 40.8% from three. That is useful next to Zach Edey and the younger guards. He is not the headline asset, but he gives the roster a real rotation player and a movable contract.
Dunn is the defensive upside piece. He posted 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 45.3% from the field. The offensive game is still limited, but he has size, athleticism, and defensive value. The Grizzlies finished 25-57, with a 112.9 offensive rating, 118.8 defensive rating, and -5.9 net rating. They need more than one kind of player. Green gives them scoring upside, O’Neale gives them a veteran, and Dunn gives them defense.
The problem for them is that this package doesn’t include a first-round pick. That is the weak point. The Suns don’t have a strong first-round pick menu because of past trades, so this would be more about salary, Green’s upside, and getting out of Morant’s risk. If the Grizzlies still think Morant can return to an All-NBA level, this is probably not enough. If they think the relationship and contract are too hard to keep, it becomes more realistic.
For the Suns, the risk is obvious. Morant shot 23.5% from three and had a 52.1% true shooting. Pairing him with Booker gives them more creation, but it also gives them a smaller guard defense and spacing questions. Booker can shoot, but Morant’s defender will help until he proves the jumper is back. The Suns would need strong shooting around both guards.
Still, this is the exact kind of gamble the Suns have to think about. They are not rebuilding with Booker in his prime. They are not loaded with draft assets. They need one move that changes the shape of the roster. Morant does that more than Green. The price is risky, but the upside is also much higher.
2. The Bucks Put Ryan Rollins On The Table
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Ja Morant
Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Ryan Rollins, Kyle Kuzma, AJ Green, Pete Nance, 2031 first-round pick
The Bucks version is more directly tied to reporting. Michael Scotto reported that the Grizzlies wanted Ryan Rollins and a first-round pick from the Bucks in Morant talks. The Bucks reportedly didn’t want to include Rollins. That makes sense because Rollins was one of the few bright spots in a bad season. But if the target is Morant, Rollins probably has to be in the deal.
The Bucks finished 32-50 and missed the playoffs. Their numbers were bad for a team with Giannis: 110.6 points per game, 116.8 points allowed, and a -6.3 net rating. Their defensive rating was 119.3, 27th in the league. This wasn’t only a small problem. The roster around Giannis didn’t have enough high-end guard creation, and the defense fell apart too often.
Giannis still played like a star in his 36 games. He posted 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while shooting 62.4% from the field. That is still elite production. But the Bucks can’t waste more time trying to find small upgrades around him. Morant would give them a real second star with downhill pressure, speed, and late-clock creation. The fit is not perfect, but the talent swing is obvious.
Morant, next to Giannis, would put huge pressure on the rim. Both players force help inside. Both live in transition. Both can turn one defensive rebound into a layup before the opponent is set. The Bucks have been too slow and too easy to load up against. Morant would make them faster right away.
The spacing is the issue. Morant shot 23.5% from three. Giannis doesn’t space the floor. That means the Bucks would need shooters everywhere else. Trading AJ Green hurts that because he gave them 10.4 points per game and shot 41.9% from three. He is one of the exact players who fit around Giannis and Morant. But this is the cost of matching salary and giving the Grizzlies real value.
Rollins is the main asset. He had 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists, while shooting 47.2% from the field and 40.6% from three. That is a very good line for a 23-year-old guard on a $4.0 million salary. His contract is the reason the Grizzlies would want him. He is cheap, productive, and still young enough to be part of a retool.
Kyle Kuzma is the salary piece. He had 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, and his 2026-27 salary is around $20.5 million as a cap hit. He is not the value of the deal, but he helps with the money. His contract also expires after 2026-27, so the Grizzlies would not be taking a long-term problem. They could keep him as a forward scorer or move him again later.
The 2031 first-round pick is the part the Grizzlies would push hardest for. The Bucks’ future picks are dangerous because nobody knows where the team will be that far out. Giannis will be older, Morant’s health will still be a question, and the roster could be thin. A 2031 first-round pick from the Bucks has more upside than a normal late first from a stable young team.
For the Bucks, the trade is risky because it removes one cheap guard, one elite shooter, and one far-out first-round pick. But staying the same after a 32-win season is also risky. If Giannis is still on the roster, the team needs to act like it. Morant is flawed, expensive, and not coming off a good year, but he is still the type of player who can change the ceiling.
For the Grizzlies, this might be better than the Suns deal. Rollins fits better as a Morant replacement because he is already a point guard and has strong efficiency. Green has more scoring pop, but Rollins is cheaper and easier to build around. Add a first-round pick, and the Bucks package probably has more balanced value.
The Bucks would still need more moves after this. A Morant-Giannis pairing needs shooting and defensive wings. Losing Green makes that harder. But the first step would be getting the star. If the Bucks believe Morant can get back near his 2021-22 or 2022-23 form, this is the kind of swing that makes sense.
