In the wake of Damian Lillard requesting a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, one NBA writer is proposing that the Memphis Grizzlies acquire the seven-time All-Star. Ishaan Bhattacharya of Fadeaway World proposed that the Grizzlies trade Ja Morant to the Blazers for Lillard.
Morant will miss the first 25 games of next season due to a suspension, which is why the Grizzlies traded for Marcus Smart from the Boston Celtics and signed Derrick Rose in free agency. Lillard doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract and he’s under contract, so he would have to play for Memphis if they traded for him, right? Maybe not.
“The Grizzlies have cultivated a young and winning setup that can’t wait for Morant to get his act together,” Bhattacharya wrote. “Given his off-court struggles in Memphis, maybe a change of scenario is what’ll suit the young star the best. In addition to that, Morant would be the single-best player the Blazers could receive in a Lillard trade. With his age, he aligns perfectly with the young timeline the team has inadvertently walked itself into while trying to contend with Lillard.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Ja Morant & Memphis Grizzlies Updates
One of the problems with such a proposal is that Portland already has an abundance of backcourt talent between Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe. How would Portland mix it up?
The main problem is that Lillard only wants to get traded to the Miami Heat. His agent, Aaron Goodwin, has been telling non-Heat teams to not trade for his client since Lillard is dead set on playing for the Heat. Both Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo want Lillard in South Beach.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Ja Morant & Memphis Grizzlies Updates
If the Blazers trade Lillard to a team that isn’t the Heat, the star point guard “wouldn’t report,” according to Mark Medina of Sportsnaut. Lillard has demanded that the Blazers trade him to the Heat.
“He just wouldn’t go,” a person familiar with Lillard’s thinking told Sportsnaut. “He just wouldn’t report.”
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