According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Memphis Grizzlies are officially open to trading Ja Morant before this season’s trade deadline. They want to “reset” their roster for their upcoming future.
If the Grizzlies were to trade their franchise player, they reportedly want young players and draft picks in return. This would launch Jaren Jackson Jr. as their new face of the franchise.
They believe having a team centered around Jackson, Cedric Coward, Zach Edey, Jaylen Wells, and Cam Spencer would be highly beneficial to their success.
This last offseason, the 26-year-old was eligible to sign a three-year, $178 million extension. However, Memphis wanted to wait before jumping to any decisions.
Right now, this situation is mirroring the Trae Young situation where he was ultimately traded to the Washington Wizards instead of remaining as their face of the franchise.
While Memphis has looked at keeping him, they are in favor of resetting this team. This began back in June when they traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for four first-round picks.