Report: Nets could trade for Grizzlies' Ja Morant prior to deadline

The Brooklyn Nets will have some key decisions to make prior to the trade deadline for the 2025-26 NBA season, especially with the team still in the early stages of its rebuild. Brooklyn could be in plenty of conversations related to who they could be trading away by the deadline, but there are discussions about who the Nets could target in the trade market.

"Finally, let’s talk about one deep dark horse: Brooklyn. With one trusted league source telling me that Michael Porter Jr. is a lock to move by the deadline so the Nets can sell high on his career year, it makes sense for the Nets to figure out who will be the centerpiece of their franchise a year from now," The Athletic's John Hollinger wrote on Saturday. Hollinger's article discussed what the Memphis Grizzlies could do with guard Ja Morant before the deadline.

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"Remember, Brooklyn owes a pick swap to Houston in 2027 and thus has no incentive to tank next season. They need some players," Hollinger continued. "Dealing Porter for Morant and picks would allow the Nets to have their cake and eat it, too. They could sell high on Porter, buy low on Morant, and fill their most glaring roster weakness ahead of the 2026-27 season."

As Hollinger wrote, it seems that there is at least some belief that the Nets could be interested in trading for Morant, but time will tell if Brooklyn would use forward Michael Porter Jr. to get the job done. ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Friday that the Grizzlies are considering offers for Morant for the first time since the franchise selected him with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Murray State.

Porter, 27, is in the midst of the best season of his career as he's averaging 25.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 49.0% from the field and 39.7% from behind the three-point line. Morant, 26, is having one of the worst seasons of his career despite averages of 19.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per contest on 40.1% shooting from the floor and 20.8% from three-point land.

With Morant's trade value seemingly being at the lowest it has ever been since he was Second-Team All-NBA, it's likely that Memphis would have to give up more than just Morant to get Porter, as Hollinger alluded to. "Would the Grizzlies want Porter? Probably not. But would somebody else want Porter? That seems more plausible," Hollinger wrote.

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"That’s where teams such as Milwaukee, Toronto or Miami could come in for a three-way trade where the Nets and Grizzlies split the draft assets, the Nets get Morant, the Grizzlies get expiring money, and the third team gets Porter." With NBC Sports' Dalton Johnson recently reporting that the Nets could want as much as two first-round picks to trade Porter, the Grizzlies could have to give up a haul just to trade Morant away and get the sharpshooting forward.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Report: Nets could trade for Grizzlies' Ja Morant prior to deadline