Celtics Urged to Trade for Ja Morant As Grizzies Rumors Surface
The Boston Celtics have been urged to trade for Ja Morant amid reports of teams monitoring the disgruntled superstar’s situation with the Memphis Grizzlies.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, teams around the league are intrigued about the idea of trading for Morant after he was slapped with a one-game suspension for publicly criticizing the Grizzlies’ coaching staff, led by Tuomas Iisalo.
“The teams across the league, though, are monitoring this, keeping an eye on where this relationship stands between Ja Morant and the Grizzlies,” Charania told ESPN’s “SportsCenter” on Sunday.
A popular Celtics
“Get Ja Morant in a Celtics uniform somehow,” wrote the fan.
Get Ja Morant in a Celtics uniform somehow
Ja Morant, Grizzlies On the Outs?
Meanwhile, Bracco, a social sportsbook, floated a hypothetical trade scenario that would see Boston part with three rotational pieces for the two-time All-Star guard.
Celtics would receive:
Grizzlies would receive: Anfernee Simons, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser
Such a trade would give the Celtics a new Big 4 of Morant, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, once Tatum returns from his Achilles injury.
Morant and Celtics star Jayson Tatum reportedly share a friendship off the court, based on mutual respect and admiration. The athletic guard infamously stated in 2022 that he doesn’t fear any teams in the West and his only goal was to take down the Celtics, who had lost to the
“Nah, I’m fine in the West,” Morant had said.
Joining @SportsCenter AM to discuss details on Ja Morant’s one-game suspension with the Memphis Grizzlies and what’s next:
With the Celtics enduring a gap year, they may have the luxury of experimenting with a player as volatile as Morant, who has two more full seasons left on his contract.
Has Ja Morant Peaked?
While the idea of Morant on the Celtics sounds intriguing, some analysts have cautioned teams against the idea of trading for the former No. 2 overall pick.
CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn highlighted on Monday that Morant has never shot better than 34.4% from three-point range in his seven-year career, a red flag for a modern-day point guard. Furthermore, Morant is having his most inefficient season overall, shooting just 40.6% from the field through the first six games of the new season.
“This is not quite the unstoppable driver we expected to dominate the league a few years ago,” Quinn wrote of Morant’s statistical regression.
“This is a player who has struggled to stay healthy, has stagnated developmentally and fills perhaps the NBA’s most crowded archetype. Small, defensively deficient point guards aren’t exactly in vogue.”
Retired NBA star DeMarcus Cousins, though, feels Morant just needs to find the right situation, urging the 26-year-old to exit Memphis.
“It’s time to move on. This ship has sailed,” Cousins advised Morant on
“The Grizzlies have made their decision on who they’re siding with when they suspended Ja. … Militant coaching combined with modern basketball is a recipe for disaster.”
49ers trade deadline plans are now obvious after latest injury update
The San Francisco 49ers notched another win on Sunday, moving to 6-3 after defeating the New York Giants 34-24. While winning has been a theme for the Niners this season, so have significant injuries. Unfortunately, San Francisco experienced both in Week 9.
The major injury in this game happened to Mykel Williams, who is feared to have suffered a torn ACL.
The rookie edge defender will be the latest key player the 49ers lose for the season, and also the latest edge in San Francisco to go down with an injury. The Niners were already thin at that position and were expected to acquire an edge defender ahead of the trade deadline, but now they may be forced to make a trade if Williams is out for the remainder of the year.
Early in the season, San Francisco lost perennial Pro Bowler and 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa to an ACL injury. Bosa’s absence put a strain on the group, and that strain was intensified when Bryce Huff went down with a hamstring injury in Week 7. Huff is expected to return this year, but he has missed the last two games, leaving the 49ers without much of a pass rush.
Now, Williams has joined his veterans on the injury report, and San Francisco has no choice but to add a veteran edge defender. Fortunately for the Niners, there are options. The most likely options both play for the Miami Dolphins, who have officially opened up for business after falling to 2-7 and firing their general manager. Outside linebackers Bradley Chubb and Matthew Judon are both trade candidates, and San Francisco could actually use both of them.
With the trade deadline on Tuesday, Nov. 4, the 49ers will surely be active up until that point.
San Francisco clearly has a competitive team, so it needs to try and fill the gaps while it can.
