Why Morant and Young Are Not the Same Trade Deadline Story
Although Ja Morant and Trae Young are both mentioned in trade chatter, the contract realities facing Memphis and Atlanta make selling Young far more urgent — and selling Morant far more reckless.
- Glenn Catubig
- 3 min read
At a glance, Ja Morant and Trae Young occupy similar places in the NBA rumor mill. Both are former franchise pillars, both play for teams stuck near the Play-In line, and both have seen their reputations complicated by uneven results on and off the court.
But surface-level parallels mask a deeper divide. The economic realities shaping the Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks could not be more different, and those differences dictate how each front office must approach the trade deadline.
For Hawks general manager Bryson Graham, the clock is loud and unforgiving. For Grizzlies executive Zach Kleiman, time — and contract security — remains an ally.
That is why Atlanta may feel cornered into exploring a Trae Young trade, while Memphis cannot afford to sell Ja Morant at anything less than full value.
1. The Cost of Trae Young
Young’s appeal is obvious: few guards in the league can generate offense as explosively or tilt defensive coverage so dramatically. Yet the Hawks sit at 17–21, clinging to 10th in the East and staring at a narrowing margin for error. The contract is the complicating factor. Young earns $45.99 million this season and holds a player option worth nearly $49 million for next year, a structure that injects risk into any potential deal. For a rival front office, acquiring Young is not simply a question of salary matching. It is a wager that he will not opt out, because if he does, the acquiring team could be left with nothing but a four-month rental. Even if he stays, the longer view is daunting. Young is widely expected to command an extension north of $50 million annually, a figure that would reshape any team’s cap sheet under the league’s new collective bargaining rules.
2. Atlanta’s Shrinking Margin
The Hawks’ position in the standings magnifies the pressure. Sitting four games behind fifth place and flirting with falling out of the Play-In picture entirely, Atlanta cannot afford to let uncertainty linger. Doing nothing risks watching Young’s leverage slip away if the season unravels. Acting now, however, likely means accepting less than peak value. This is the trap Atlanta has built for itself. The franchise must choose between preserving a fragile asset or monetizing him in an imperfect market. Neither option is attractive, but time is the enemy, and the contract calendar will not slow down to accommodate caution.
3. Why Selling Now Would Be a Mistake
Morant has not played to his usual standard this season, and his perceived value has dipped. That is precisely why Memphis must resist temptation to move him. The Grizzlies have been battered by injuries, forced into lineups that barely resemble their intended rotation. Their spot near the Play-In line reflects attrition more than a failed vision. Compounding matters, there is little pressure from behind. Teams like Utah, Dallas, New Orleans and the Clippers have struggled to mount consistent challenges, leaving Memphis without the urgency that would force drastic action. With health, development, or even a brief stretch of stability, Morant’s value could rebound without a single front-office maneuver.