Last month, I pitched why the Boston Celtics should trade for Ja Morant if the chance presented itself. With all the time that has passed since then, ladies and gentlemen, we have our first candidate for worst Celtics take of 2026. However, with things playing out the way they are, Morant might be bought out by the Memphis Grizzlies, and if that happens, Boston should look into bringing him in.
Last we heard about Morant, no team wants him despite it sounding like he is so available that the Grizzlies are willing to let anyone have him for free pretty much.
The Memphis Grizzlies Front Office is struggling immensely to find a team willing to trade for Ja Morant, per @WindhorstESPN pic.twitter.com/H7i6y29Djd
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) June 27, 2026
The Grizzlies are in a bit of transition, though it's not clear if the plan is to rebuild or to retool (if it's the former, Boston could try to take advantage of that), but regardless of what comes next for them, it sounds like Morant will be gone one way or the other.
Morant has had so much bad will with the Grizzlies that it seems as though they don't want anything to do with him, but for that same reason, between his controversies, his rampant injuries, and his expensive contract, it doesn't seem like anyone's really excited to trade for someone with his baggae.
And for good reason.
As long as there's no strings attached, Morant could be serviceable
Morant's downfall over the past few years has overshadowed the fact that he became an unexpected NBA sensation, as his rise began with him surging into becoming the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft to quickly resurrecting the Grizzlies following the fallout of the Grit-n-Grind era. Morant was once the NBA's darling child until he started live-streaming himself on Instagram...
The days of thinking Ja can do precisely that again are long gone, but should he get waived, the days of him becoming a premier buy-low candidate would definitely be on everyone's mind. It's hard to pinpoint what he would get on the open market, but teams would be lining up to sign him as long as it doesn't cost them anything.
In Boston's case, Morant could be another quality player in their guard rotation, which is already pretty impressive with Derrick White and Payton Pritchard leading the way. On paper, Morant would be a little more dynamic if he can somewhat return to form.
Anyone who adds Morant expecting him to look like the player he was goes beyond wishful thinking, but there's still a solid chance he can be a ceiling-raiser. We have seen former stars adapt to lives after their athleticism started to decline, like Grant Hill and ex-Celtics fan favorite Blake Griffin.
If Morant goes from his own version of Clippers Blake to Pistons Blake, well, there are worse ideas out there for the Celtics. It just can't be via trade.
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