Ja to the Blazers. Bad move on the Grizzlies' part?
Biggest trade of the offseason. I'm a Blazers fan, so fair warning, I might glaze the Blazers a little.
Portland gave up Jerami Grant and Kris Murray for an All-Star. Memphis keeps making other teams better and does nothing for itself.
Whadup, y'all. Welcome to the On The Court article. My name's Jaiye. Let's get into it.
Ja Morant is a Blazer, and I think it makes them better right away. Now they've got a one, two, three punch: Dame, Deni and Ja. They already had the defense. Ja is the offense.
The only thing that stops them is Ja himself. His health, his attitude, all of it. But I've got a feeling he stays healthy, and when he's healthy he scores. 17.8 as a rookie in 2019. 19.1 in 2020. 26.2 in 2022. That's not a guy you talk yourself out of.
And that wasn't even the main part of the trade for Portland. The main part is what they gave up: Jerami Grant and Kris freaking Murray. For an All-Star.
Now that Dame is back they've got a real trio. It isn't the best trio in the league. But it's a trio, and a year ago they didn't have one.
I'm standing on this one. Ask me again in June.
Great trade for the Blazers. Horrible trade for the Grizzlies. First they moved JJJ, now this, and they still haven't gotten good players back for either one. They should fire Zach Kleiman, the way the Mavs did with Nico Harrison.
But I'm a Blazers fan, so I'm happy. Nice job, Portland. See you next week. On The Court article, signing out. Peace. And no funny business in Portland, Ja.