If the Miami Heat are slowly trying to buy their time before another superstar trade target becomes available, they may not have to wait much longer. That's because Ja Morant could find himself on the trade block if things between the All-Star guard and the Memphis Grizzlies continue to trend south.
Over the last few days, it does seem as if the relationship between the Grizzlies and Morant has soured to a certain extent. It's still not at the point where a trade has been requested or to a place where the Grizzlies are openly shopping Morant, but there's mounting evidence that we could be headed in that direction.
Taking a page out of the Jimmy Butler playbook, Morant could be getting to the point where he may force the Grizzlies' hand. And if Memphis isn't willing to play this game of chicken with their supposed face of the franchise, it could open the door for a team like the Heat to swoop in and take full advantage.
Ja Morant was pretty reserved about what happened over the weekend.
— Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) November 4, 2025
Probably the most noteworthy question:
Does he still have the same joy he normally carries?
“No.”
What can be done to get it back?
“We’ll see.”
What will Ja Morant do next?
At this point, the ball is clearly in Morant's court. What will he elect to do next? There are two pretty clear paths ahead of him moving forward. He could continue to make things awkward through the media, especially if he feels disrespected or not valued to a certain extent, or he could de-escalate things.
You'd have to imagine Morant de-escalating the situation is probably the most logical move. Unless Morant is truly ready to make things particularly ugly and prepared to demand a trade while doing so, there's no reason why Morant wouldn't try to calm this situation.
It may already have gotten out of hand, and it's probably best for both the Grizzlies and Morant to take a bit of a step back. Even if a part of Morant wanted to explore the idea of a trade away from the Grizzlies, this is not necessarily the best time for that. We're too far from the NBA Trade Deadline, and star players are almost never traded in-season.
If this is something that Morant did secretly want, he wouldn't handled it during this past offseason, or will wait until next summer.
Either way, the situation between the Grizzlies and Morant is certainly one to keep a close eye on. And if it does continue to go south, this is a potential trade target that would make sense for the Heat.
Morant is the type of talent that could significantly raise the ceiling for the Heat heading into the future. He's also the type of addition that could completely alter the hierarchy in the Eastern Conference. If the Heat could add Morant, while also keeping their foundational core in place, Miami would immediately emerge as a real player in the East.
Whether Morant will even hit the trade block or if the Heat would even be interested are two very big questions. But, if this relationship is not salvaged, there's reason to believe that Memphis could go a long way in gifting this Heat franchise a lifeline that they're in desperate need of.