The Minnesota Timberwolves may be striking out on their chance to add a superstar alongside Anthony Edwards.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ reported asking price for Giannis Antetokounmpo seems like a trade would do more harm than good and a potential pursuit of Kyrie Irving has cooled, saying he “would be surprised if a deal got done" and Marc Stein saying he's not available.
If Antetokounmpo and Irving are officially off the board, the Wolves may have to pivot to building around their current core.
But the one player that could bring some star power is Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, who could be available “if the Grizzlies receive an offer they view as worthwhile,” according to Damichael Cole and Said Bravo of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
If the Wolves have expressed interest in Morant, as Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported this week, it may be the worthy gamble that adds the impact player they’re looking for.
There's no denying trading for Morant would be a gamble, but if the Wolves are desparte for a star, this could be a road they go down.
Trading for Ja Morant would be risky, but he could be the Wolves' best chance of landing a star
Timberwolves fans watched Morant be a driving force for Memphis during their meeting in the 2022 playoffs, but a lot has changed since then.
With Morant hitting the trade market, it seems like he could be the best bet if Tim Connelly is insistent on making a splash, but factors on and off the court could make it one of the most pivotal decisions the Timberwolves could make this summer.
Anybody who is still bullish on Morant would look back at the start to his career. The second overall pick in the 2019 draft, Morant won the Rookie of the Year Award, averaging 17.8 points, 7.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game during the 2019-20 season and two years later, he was the NBA’s most improved player, averaging 27.4 points, 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game.
The Wolves ran into Morant at the height of his powers during the first round of the 2022 playoffs. While he averaged 21.5 points over the six-game series, he was an all-around force with 10.5 assists and 8.7 rebounds per game.
If the Wolves can get that version of Morant, or even the version who made the All-Star game as a 23-year-old the following year, they would probably take it. He would also fit into the timeline of the current core with Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid and Joan Beringer, who are all under the age of 26.
But of course, that isn’t a given. Morant’s aggressive style helped him live at the rim early in his career with a league-leading 7.9 rim attempts per game during the 2021-22 season, according to DataBallr. But that number has declined over the past four years, falling to a career-worst 4.2 attempts at the rim last season.
Even worse is that Morant isn’t converting when he gets to the rim. While he shot 67 percent at the rim during the 2021-22 campaign, he finished at a 61.4 percent clip last year, which was in the 39th percentile of all point guards and his lowest conversion rate since converting at 60.6 percent during the 2020-21 season.
Morant's injury concerns are notable, he has played in more than 60 games just once in the past five years.
In addition, there are several off-court concerns that add to the risk level of this move.
The highest-profile incidents came when he brandished a handgun at a Denver-area nightclub in 2023 before appearing on an Instagram live stream with a gun a few months later that led to a 25-game suspension. Morant was also sued but had charges dismissed after punching a 17-year-old during a pickup game in 2023 and was issued a one-game suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team” last November.
These incidents may in part have been why ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested Morant “had negative value” leading up to last year’s deadline and with a $42.1 million salary, it could clog up a big chunk of the Timberwolves’ salary ledger even if they are parting ways with Julius Randle or Rudy Gobert back in a deal.
In the end, it could come down to a matter of cost. If the Wolves think Morant can help and Memphis likes the offer, there's a good chance Morant could be their big acquisition. At this point, he's probably their best chance to land a star.
If they decide the risk with Morant is too much, Connelly and the rest of the front office will have to go back to the drawing board to find a player who can help.
