The New York Knicks are 25-14, sitting 2nd in the East, and the offense is legit: 119.5 points per game, 47.3% from the field, 38.3% from three, and a 121.2 offensive rating. That’s not “fun story” production, that’s “you can win four rounds if things break right” production.
Now, Draymond Green popping up on his podcast and calling the Knicks a “dark horse” Ja Morant suitor is the type of chaos that usually dies in 12 hours. But it lines up with what the league already thinks about the Knicks: they’re in “big-game hunting” mode, and they’ve been linked to major-star chatter like Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason.
So Draymond’s wasn’t just a random hot take. It basically nailed what the Knicks are: good enough that one bold swing could make them scary, and stable enough to absorb risk better than most teams.
ESPN reporting already said the Grizzlies are open to trading Morant ahead of the February 5 deadline on January 9. So, here is how the Knicks could land one of the biggest superstars in the market, realistically.
The Trade
Knicks Receive: Ja Morant
Grizzlies Receive: OG Anunoby, Miles McBride
This is where it gets cleaner than people want to admit.
Ja Morant is on a five-year, $197.23 million deal. He makes $39.4 million in 2025-26, and then $42.1 million in 2026-27.
OG Anunoby makes $39.5 million this season. Miles McBride makes $4.3 million. So the Knicks are sending out about $43.9 million in salary to bring back $39.4 million. It’s realistic math, not a fan-fiction cap sheet.
This isn’t just “the Knicks being cheap.” It’s structural. They’ve already shipped out multiple future firsts (including 2027, 2029, and 2031), which is exactly how you get boxed in by pick logistics and the Stepien Rule, the rule that keeps teams from leaving themselves without a first-round pick in consecutive future drafts.
Plus, look at the league vibe right now. The Hawks literally moved Trae Young to the Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, with no draft picks involved in the swap.
That matters because the reporting around Morant is basically saying: “Don’t expect a godfather package.” Tim MacMahon has been linked to the idea that the Grizzlies might not even get a better return than the Trae deal, which is insane on talent, but not insane once you factor in Morant’s current year, injuries, and the baggage.
So if the market is softer than people think, OG plus McBride becomes the kind of “fine, we can sell this” return that a front office talks itself into.
Why It Makes Sense For The Knicks
First, the baseline: the Knicks don’t need Ja Morant to become a good offense. They already are one.
They’re scoring 119.5 per game with a 121.2 offensive rating, and they’re doing it with real shotmaking (38.3% from three) and real volume (39.9 threes attempted per game in that StatMuse team line).
The issue is the ceiling. Specifically: what happens when the playoffs slow you down, teams load up on Brunson, and every possession turns into “create something out of nothing.”
Jalen Brunson last season put up 26.0 points and 7.3 assists on 48.8% shooting and 38.3% from three. He’s already proven he can be the engine of a top offense.
Karl-Anthony Towns has been a monster this season too: 21.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists on 47.1% from the field and 35.5% from three, plus 86.5% at the line. That’s spacing gravity with real scoring, not “stretch big that hesitates.”
So why chase Morant?
Because Ja Morant changes the geometry. Even in a down year, he’s still at 19.0 points and 7.6 assists. The efficiency has been rough (40.1% from the field, 20.8% from three, 50.6% true shooting), but the point is he forces rim help in a way almost nobody does.
Now plug that into a Knicks roster that already has shooting and decision-making. Towns spacing at the five, Mikal Bridges at 15.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.6 steals, while hitting 40.1% from three. Josh Hart at 12.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 39.8% from three, with Mitchell Robinson vacuuming the glass with 8.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 19.4 minutes.
That’s the nerdy part: the Knicks would be building a two-creator structure that lets them pick matchups.
You can start Brunson and Morant together, then stagger them so one is always on the floor. That’s 48 minutes where defenses can’t ever relax. And when a defense sells out on Brunson’s downhill and midrange game, Morant becomes the “second wave” that punishes the tilt.
From a contract standpoint, the Knicks can talk themselves into it too.
Brunson is at $34.9 million, Bridges is at $24.9 million, Hart is at $19.4 million, Robinson is at $12.9 million, and Towns is at the massive number of $53.1 million. That’s already a “we’re paying for the top” roster. Morant’s $39.4 million slot is expensive, but it’s not some alien tier compared to what this core already costs.
The sacrifice is obvious, though: you’re giving up OG Anunoby, who is still one of the cleanest two-way wings in the league.
This season, he’s at 15.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 steals, and 36.4% from three. And yes, he’s pricey too at $39.5 million, so it’s not like you’re dumping a bargain.
But if you’re the Knicks, you’re making a bet: Anunoby makes you safer. Morant makes you scarier.
Why It Makes Sense For The Grizzlies
The Grizzlies are already in “tank and restart next season” territory with a record of 17-22 and the 10th seed in the West. Listening to offers on Morant is just admitting the build has become unstable in the midst of a season filled with drama, suspensions, and a bad fit overall.
Morant has only played 18 games this season. The production is still real (19.0 and 7.6), but the efficiency dip is real too, and the context around the situation has been loud.
So the Grizzlies’ goal in a Morant deal shouldn’t be “win the trade on Twitter.” It should be: stabilize the roster around Jaren Jackson Jr., fix the wing defense, and stop living possession-to-possession.
Jackson is at 18.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 36.1% from three. He’s still a rare modern big, but he needs perimeter structure around him. Anunoby gives you that instantly.
He’s a plug-and-play wing stopper, he creates turnovers (1.7 steals), he doesn’t need the ball to matter, and he hits enough threes to keep the floor spaced (36.4%).
McBride is the sneaky part that makes this feel like a real basketball deal instead of “one star for one guy.” He’s at 12.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 43.9% from three. That’s rotation value, especially on a $4.33 million salary.
Contract-wise, the Grizzlies also get optionality back.
Morant is $39.4 million now and jumps to $42.1 million next year. If you’re unsure about long-term availability and you’re staring at a huge extension decision down the line, that’s a stressful place to live.
Anunoby’s number is also big, but the difference is role stability. It’s easier to build around a high-level wing defender who doesn’t need to dominate usage than it is to build around a star guard with volatility.
Basically: the Grizzlies trade “franchise headline” for “structure.” And structure is how you stop bleeding.
The Risk
This is where the Knicks’ side gets spicy, because the risk isn’t just “what if Morant gets hurt” or “what if the shooting stays bad.” The bigger risk is the defense, the matchups, and the playoff hunting.
The Knicks are already not an elite defense right now. Their defensive rating is 116.6 (13th overall), which is fine for a contender if your offense is nuclear, but it’s not the kind of number you want to make worse.
And here’s the thing: Morant has never been the type of point guard you build a top defense around. He can compete, he can make highlight steals, but he’s not a consistent point-of-attack stopper. He gets screened. He dies on picks. He can ball-watch. When you’re small in the backcourt, those details become a playoff issue immediately because teams will force it every single possession.
Now imagine the most common Knicks closing lineup after the trade:
Brunson + Morant in the backcourt, Bridges and Hart on the wings, Robinson at center, with Towns as the offensive counterweight.
Bridges and Hart are dogs. They can cover a ton of mistakes. Robinson can erase things at the rim. But you’re still presenting opponents with a neon sign: “hunt the guards.”
In the playoffs, teams won’t waste time attacking Bridges. They’ll force Brunson or Morant into ball screens over and over until the defense breaks shape. If you keep Robinson in a drop, Morant has to fight to get back in the play and tag the roller, and that’s not his strongest life. If you switch, you’re asking Morant to survive in the post or survive against bigger wings. That’s the exact stress test teams love.
And you’re also losing Anunoby in this deal, which matters a lot. He’s the cleanest “put him on the best guy and don’t worry” defender the Knicks have. Without him, Bridges becomes even more essential, and Hart becomes even more essential, and now you’re one injury away from your whole perimeter defense crumbling.
There’s an offensive fit risk too, even though I like the concept.
Morant is at 20.8% from three this season. That’s not “slump,” that’s “defenders will go under every screen until you prove you can punish it.”
The saving grace is Towns’ spacing and Bridges’ shooting, plus Hart shooting better than people expect. But if Morant can’t at least get back to “respectable” from deep, it narrows what you can run late in games, and it makes it harder to play him off-ball next to Brunson.
So yeah, the Knicks can absolutely sell themselves on “we’ll outscore you.” They basically do that already with a 121.2 offensive rating.
But if the defense slides even a little, you’re flirting with a ceiling where you’re a terrifying regular-season team that gets targeted and stripped in May.
That’s the real risk.
Final Thoughts
I still like it for the Knicks, but only if they’re honest about what they’re buying.
They’re not buying “2026 Morant shooting splits.” They’re buying the pressure, the rim attacks, the second star creator, and the playoff shot-creation insurance.
And if they do it, they better have a defensive plan ready on day one, because Brunson + Morant will get hunted immediately, no matter how many wing stoppers you keep around.
For the Grizzlies, this is the type of pivot that makes sense if the market is colder than expected. Anunoby gives you real structure, McBride gives you cheap shooting, and you stop making every season a referendum on one volatile situation.
If the Knicks want to win the East, this is the kind of risk you take, and then you spend the rest of the season fixing the consequences.
