Overall, the deal is a win for the Blazers … and another move — or moves — are almost certainly on the horizon.
Say what you want about Ja Morant’s off-the-court history — he has been suspended three times in his career, including eight and 25 games by the NBA for gun-related issues — but he is the best player involved a trade that sent the overpriced Jerami Grant and the fading-into-irrelevancy Kris Murray to Memphis. Sure, Morant only played 20 games last season before having season-ending elbow surgery. But in one of his final games, he dropped 40 on Philadelphia, which was followed by three double-doubles.
There is no question Morant is volatile — with referees, coaches, and opponents — and for this Blazers roster, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. The locker room last season was very understated, almost docile, and could probably use a little fire, a little vinegar. And if the fire is too hot or the vinegar too strong, I imagine Damian Lillard having enough gravitas to keep Morant in check.
As it stands today, this immediately joins the list of the biggest trades in Blazers history. Not as big as Rasheed Wallace in 1996 or Scottie Pippen in 1999 and probably not as impactful as getting Buck Williams in 1989 or as feel-good as getting Damon Stoudamire in 1998 … but as far as a seismic move that prompts you to pick up the phone and debate with a friend? That was this move.
Still, for how much this moves the “Wow!” needle, it is a curious move from a basketball standpoint. The Blazers were an awful shooting team last season, finishing with the league’s second-worst field goal percentage and third-worst 3-point percentage. Morant shot 23 percent from 3 last season and is a career 31 percent 3-point shooter. And he is a ball-dominant player — just like Lillard and Scoot Henderson — so pairing Morant with any of the Blazers guards seems redundant.
That leads to the unspoken part of this trade: more deals are on the way. Have to be. The Blazers now have four point guards — Morant, Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Henderson — so unloading one or two seems likely. If I was to guess, I would imagine Holiday, because of his contract and because of his skill set, is the more likely candidate to be traded next.
The Blazers have immediate needs at center and power forward. They are not expected to retain free agent center Robert Williams III, who is hoping to land a contract in the $15 million a year range, leaving only second-year center Yang Hansen as a backup to Donovan Clingan. The Blazers are also thin at power forward, with Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara their only options.
