Ja Morant has a chance to get traded prior to Thursday's trade deadline, and the Miami Heat are knocking on the door for a blockbuster move.
Shams Charania recently reported that there is "definitely a chance" that Morant gets moved, and it seems increasingly likely that he will. After trading Jaren Jackson Jr. on Tuesday, the Memphis Grizzlies are in full rebuild mode.
Morant, still just 26, has dealt with several injuries and off-court issues that have led to a downtick in overall production, but perhaps a change of scenery could unlock the version of Morant that we saw earlier in his career.
What are the odds that the Miami Heat trade for Ja Morant?
The Heat are currently -200 to trade for Morant a day ahead of the deadline on bet365. The odds shifted drastically in Miami's favor Wednesday morning, as they were +275 as recently as 11:00 AM ET.
Miami has a few young players with potential that would excite the rebuilding Grizzlies, and they have the contracts to make the trade work financially.
Tyler Herro straight up for Morant works financially for both teams, and it'll be interesting if Memphis will request more from Miami. Both players are 26 years old and would probably enjoy the move.
Morant, a 2x All-Star, had his career best seasons in 2021/22 and 2022/23 when he averaged 27.4 points and 26.2 points respectively, along with adding plenty of assists. His efficiency was solid (53.0 eFG% in 2021/22), his athleticism was off the charts, and he could be counted on getting a clutch bucket down the stretch.
Since 2022/23 however, Ja has only played in 79 games. His points per game average has dropped year after year, and his shot-making has fallen off a cliff.
In 20 games this year, Morant is averaging 19.5 points while shooting 41.0% from the field and 23.5% from three. He's still playmaking at an elite level however, dishing out 8.1 assists in just 28.5 minutes per game.
Miami is 27-25, sitting at the No. 7 seed in the East. Even with the Pistons dominating the East at 37-12, GM's in the conference definitely believe that it's wide open, especially with Jayson Tatum out.
The addition of Morant would raise Miami's ceiling, and the Bam Adebayo-Morant two-man game would have the chance to be special.
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Read about the Minnesota Timberwolves odds for trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo on site.
All odds written in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.
