The Memphis Grizzlies are entertaining trade offers for two-time All-Star point guard Ja Morant, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Friday.

A trade would end Morant’s tumultuous seven-year tenure in Memphis, which has featured Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player awards and plenty of jaw-dropping highlights. But multiple off-court issues and various injuries have dominated headlines across the past three seasons.

Morant, 26, has had various issues with Tuomas Iisalo, the organization’s new coach, and was suspended for one game earlier this season for conduct detrimental to the team. Morant is averaging career lows in minutes, rebounds and 2- and 3-point percentages.

League sources told ESPN’s Michael C. Wright that Morant still hasn’t gotten over the suspension because he felt alienated by teammates, who were told to leave the star guard alone so he could work through the issues that led to the suspension. In the aftermath, Morant told players around the league and some of his former coaches that he isn’t playing for Memphis anymore, according to sources.

Why could Memphis struggle to get full value in return for its dynamic guard? Which deals and suitors make sense? Our NBA insiders examine the market for Morant, including four trade proposals that could impact the race to the postseason.

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What makes a Morant deal so difficult?
Financial impact of dealing for the star
Morant trades: to MIA | MIL | TOR | MIN

How difficult will it be for Memphis to trade Morant?

“This is a big season for Ja,” general manager Zach Kleiman said at Grizzlies media day in September. “As we continue to build this team, to be able to achieve a high-end outcome, we need Ja to be a consistent, All-NBA-caliber player.”

Instead, an inconsistent Morant has suffered through his worst season as a pro. His scoring has dropped to 19.0 points per game, lowest since his rookie season in 2029-20. He’s shooting a career-low 40% from the field and 21% on 3-pointers. Among 134 players with as many shot attempts as Morant this season, the guard ranks 133rd in effective field goal percentage.

Morant’s greatest strength has been his ability to get to the rim; in the 2021-22 season, he ranked fourth in made field goals in the restricted area on a leaderboard populated almost exclusively by centers.

But now he is taking fewer shots than ever at the basket, and more shots than ever from the midrange. According to Basketball Reference, Morant had 0.96 dunks per game during his two All-Star seasons, but he’s down to 0.39 dunks per game since.

That statistical decline might not be a hindrance in trade talks, as interested teams could envision a change in scenery rejuvenating Morant’s game. After all, he’s not that far removed from making the All-NBA second team and receiving MVP votes. But combined with Morant’s frequent injuries and off-court controversies, the performance drop-off makes for a significant reduction in Morant’s value.

Because point guard is such a deep position around the league, few other teams need a player like Morant — and one of those potential suitors, the Washington Wizards, just added a new point guard. It’s difficult to imagine a serious bidding war for Morant at this stage, or for much of a trade return for Memphis, given that the Wizards’ acquisition of Trae Young came with no draft compensation headed to the Atlanta Hawks. — Zach Kram

What is the financial impact of adding Morant?

Morant has three years left on his contract (he is eligible to sign a three-year, $178 million extension next summer) and has a salary that ranks just 28th in the league, but availability matters. Morant is on pace for his third straight season of fewer than 60 games.

As the Hawks found with Young, fewer teams need point guards. The teams that do have a vacancy, such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, do not have a first-round pick to trade in the next seven years. Because they are over the first apron, the Wolves are not allowed to take back more salary and would need to send out at least three players. The same constraints apply to the Phoenix Suns.

The Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings, meanwhile, have the draft capital, financial flexibility and contracts to get a deal done, but adding Morant would hardly fit their rebuilding timelines.

One thing working in Memphis’ favor in trade talks: Unlike Atlanta with Young, Morant missed out on All-NBA in 2022-23. If Morant had made it, the five-year, $197 million rookie extension he signed in the 2022 offseason would have increased to $237 million.

In the apron era, this detail matters. Instead of an onerous $47.3 million cap hit this season and $50.6 million and $53.9 million the next two years, Morant is owed $39.5 million, $42.2 million and $44.9 million, respectively. –– Bobby Marks

Four offers for Morant

Here are trades our experts propose for Morant to get out of Memphis, including two three-team deals:

Miami Heat get:

Ja Morant

Memphis Grizzlies get:

Tyler Herro
Simone Fontecchio

If any change of scenery can help Morant rediscover his All-Star form, it’s a move to Miami. The “Heat culture” ethos might be cliché, but it delivers results.

Replacing Herro with Morant would increase variance for Miami, as the Grizzlies point guard comes with a lower floor but higher ceiling than Herro. It’s difficult to imagine Herro ever being one of the top 10 players in the league, as Morant was in 2021-22.

But the Heat need the offensive upside that Morant might provide. They haven’t finished in the top 10 in offensive rating since 2019-20, per Cleaning the Glass, and even their new offensive system this season has brought them only to average. The problem is a lack of star power.

Granted, acquiring Morant might be complicated given that Miami’s new offensive game plan borrows a great deal from the system Morant disliked in Memphis last season. But this might still be a risk worth taking because it’s also unclear whether Herro fits as a long-term player in Miami.

Herro is set to reach free agency after the 2026-27 season, and extension talks this summer could prove thorny, as he’s in the exact class of player — talented but not All-NBA level, an excellent offensive player but a defensive liability — that is most at risk of losing money due to teams’ financial restraint under the new collective bargaining agreement.

The combined salaries for Herro and Fontecchio are almost a perfect match for Morant’s, and Morant and Herro are similar enough in present-day value that, much like in Young’s trade to Washington, no draft picks are included in this deal.

Miami could also try to trade for Morant using other players with smaller salaries than Herro, such as Andrew Wiggins or Terry Rozier (if the NBA permits his inclusion in a trade). But those possibilities aren’t as clean a financial fit; Miami is close to the luxury tax line, and Morant, Herro and Norman Powell wouldn’t all fit on the same team. — Kram

Milwaukee Bucks get:

Ja Morant

Memphis Grizzlies get:

Kyle Kuzma
Kevin Porter Jr.
2026 first-round swap

Detroit Pistons get

Gary Harris
Cash considerations

Frankly, Morant has been nowhere near as effective this season as Porter, who is averaging 18.4 points per game on far better efficiency (.595 true shooting percentage) than Morant (.506). Like the Heat, however, the Bucks need an upside play to salvage the tail end of Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s prime. Porter’s play hasn’t been enough to keep Milwaukee in a play-in spot amidst Antetokounmpo’s injuries.

Because the Bucks are saving the Grizzlies so much money — $20-plus million in 2026-27, provided Porter declines his below-market $5.4 million player option, and Morant’s entire $45 million salary in 2027-28 — they’re not willing to offer a first-round pick outright in this construction.

Instead, Memphis would add Milwaukee to a convoluted set of pick swaps. The Grizzlies will likely end up with their own pick and one from either Orlando or Phoenix, whichever team finishes with a worse record. They could swap the worst of those picks for the one the Bucks end up with after a potential swap with New Orleans. At present, that would move Memphis up from the 18th pick to a tie for 10th, although presumably Milwaukee would bet on making the playoffs after this trade.

The Bucks would still retain the ability to offer three first-round picks in a trade on draft night to build around what would now be an Antetokounmpo-Morant core. — Pelton

Toronto Raptors get:

Ja Morant

Memphis Grizzlies get:

Immanuel Quickley
Ochai Agbaji
2026 first-round pick (top-14 protected)

At last year’s trade deadline, the Raptors dealt a first-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for Brandon Ingram, a former All-Star without much of a trade market. In this proposal, Toronto pounces on another opportunity to acquire an underpriced former All-Star for one first-round pick.

In so doing, the Raptors would attempt to upgrade at the point guard position, where Quickley has been fine but unspectacular since joining the team in the OG Anunoby trade in December 2023. This season, Quickley has a 15.5 player efficiency rating (15.0 is average), which seems a fair assessment of his current value.

Morant would offer far more upside, albeit with a greater downside, but that’s a reasonable risk for a team that could use a top-tier playmaker to seriously contend in the East. The Raptors rank third in defensive rating this season but only 20th on offense with Quickley running the show.

Memphis might reasonably ask for more draft compensation to take back Quickley’s contract, which is somewhat underwater as it extends for another three years at $32.5 million per season. But if the situation with Morant has become so toxic that the Grizzlies just need a replacement — and that the expected trade return for him has fallen accordingly — getting another first-round pick in a loaded 2026 draft could benefit them regardless. — Kram

Minnesota Timberwolves get:

Ja Morant

Memphis Grizzlies get:

Rob Dillingham
Naz Reid
2027 second-round pick (via Bulls)

Washington Wizards get:

Terrence Shannon Jr.

Utah Jazz get:

Mike Conley
Cash considerations

To a degree, the Timberwolves are included to show how difficult it would be for them to acquire Morant without breaking up the core that has led them to consecutive Western Conference finals. As Marks explained, Minnesota would need to include multiple players and at least one of fan favorite Reid, ace defender Jaden McDaniels and All-Star Julius Randle.

Of those options, Reid is the least painful to lose and would be a more natural fit with the Grizzlies’ existing frontcourt than Randle. If I’m running the Timberwolves, I see Reid and two recent first-round picks as more than adequate value in return for Morant. If anything, I’d be asking Memphis to include draft picks to get out of Morant’s remaining salary.

Adding four players from Minnesota is untenable for the full Grizzlies roster, so it would reroute Conley back to the Jazz as a veteran leader with cash to help cover his remaining salary and Shannon to the Wizards in exchange for a second-round pick to fill the roster spot they created in the trade adding Trae Young.

That leaves Memphis with an upgraded frontcourt, a chance to evaluate a recent lottery pick in Dillingham and a decent second-round pick. — Pelton

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart set social media buzzing with speculation about the team’s next head coach after fans attempted to lip-read the rookie on the Ole Miss sideline during Thursday night’s Fiesta Bowl.

There are currently eight teams in the NFL on the hunt for a new head coach, including the Giants, who fired Brian Daboll midseason following another missed playoffs. Several notable names have since been thrown into the pool of available coaches, and Dart appeared to have given fans a clue as to who the Big Blue has been eyeing. 

Dart was on the sidelines for his alma mater Ole Miss during the team’s 31-27 loss to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl when the broadcast picked up the 22-year-old having a conversation. 

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Although his comments were inaudible, social media users attempted to read Dart’s lips, prompting speculation that he said “Harbaugh or Stefanski,” a reference to former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Although it remains unclear what Dart was truly saying, both coaches are widely considered among the most sought-after free agents currently in the NFL.

Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens walks the field prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Jan. 4, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

NEW YORK GIANTS NEXT HEAD COACH ODDS: KEVIN STEFANSKI FAVORED, HARBAUGH IN MIX

The Ravens’ decision to fire Harbaugh after 18 seasons — a tenure that included multiple division titles, several AFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl victory — rattled the league and drew interest from numerous teams, including some that already had head coaches in place.

While the Giants have yet to interview Harbaugh, it seems inevitable they will.

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski walks on the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

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  The Giants have already conducted interviews with Stefanski, Vance Joseph, Raheem Morris, and Antonio Pierce. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.”

AS CHEERS FILLED the air at Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, one corner of the floor was uncannily quiet.

Several minutes — and what felt like much, much longer — passed after UCLA’s Emma Malabuyo stuck her beam dismount, the final routine for the Bruins. The eyes of virtually everyone in the arena were glued to the scoreboard.

But the gymnasts on the LSU team already knew what the result would be. They stood in near-silence by the vault, tears streaming down their faces, exchanging drawn-out hugs with one another.

When Malabuyo’s 9.975 finally flashed it was official. The Tigers, the No. 1 seed and the defending national champions, were going home. UCLA and Utah were advancing to the NCAA championship finals.

“It was really heavy and crushing at the time,” LSU associate head coach Courtney McCool Griffeth told ESPN in November. “And that stays with you.”

Eventually, the team was able to find perspective and, according to McCool Griffeth, take the emotion out of it. Now, all these months after that day in April, the Tigers have been able to learn from the experience — and let the sting of disappointment make them even better this season.

“The past is in the past, but I think it’s important to reflect on the bad moments that we did have and try to learn from those moments because that is important,” junior Konnor McClain told ESPN ahead of the season. “You don’t want to repeat what happened. … But I think we’re all using it as motivation, even the newcomers and our transfers. … It’s like, ‘Okay, how can we be even better this time around?'”

MCCLAIN AND HER teammates didn’t waste any time in getting ready for 2026.

The Tigers returned to the gym in June, nearly seven months before their opening meet at the star-studded Sprouts’ Farmers Market Collegiate Quad on Saturday against three of the top four teams from last season — Oklahoma, UCLA and Utah (4 p.m. ET, ABC).

While being back in the practice gym was a familiar comfort for McClain, the LSU team has a new look overall. Six gymnasts graduated at the end of last season — including individual NCAA champions Haleigh Bryant and Aleah Finnegan and fan favorite Olivia Dunne. There were a number of new faces to get to know, and McClain didn’t know what to expect at first when she walked into the team’s first unofficial summer practice.

“The energy was 100% different,” McClain said. “This team is so young, but so funny. From the moment you walk in, everyone is just cracking jokes, and it’s like that the whole practice. … When you’re having fun, it just makes everything easy.”

Since those early sessions, the team has continued to bond, both inside and outside of the gym. They had a weekend retreat at the start of the fall semester in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and held make-your-own dip nights and pumpkin-carving parties. McClain said the vibe in the gym has remained upbeat and even downright silly at times as the season rapidly approaches.

And the team should once again challenge everyone in the country. McClain said she is back to full health after an Achilles tear last year, and hopes to compete on all four events this season. She claimed the SEC beam title her freshman year, and scored three perfect 10s (twice on beam, once on floor).

Sophomore Kailin Chio was the SEC freshman of the year in 2025 after an incredible debut season and won the NCAA vault title. And junior Amari Drayton, another former elite gymnast, has been a major contributor on vault and floor. Sophomores and fellow former national team gymnasts Kaliya Lincoln and Lexi Zeiss are expected to contribute in multiple lineups, and the team has high hopes for freshmen Nina Ballou, who won four floor national titles at the club level, and Haley Mustari, who won four national bar titles in club.

Chio said the closeness of the team has been a large part of their preseason focus — and everyone has made it a point to get to know one another individually. Chio was mentored by Bryant, now an assistant coach on the team, during her first season and is already trying to return the favor to the new group of freshmen.

“I went through so much during my freshman year, especially being away from home, so I know what it’s like,” Chio told ESPN. “I just try to tell all of them, ‘This is supposed to be fun. I know it’s really hard, but just try to enjoy every moment because it does go by fast.'”

Such relationships have been vital to the team’s success in recent years. After several seasons of being a perennial contender, the Tigers won their first NCAA championship title in 2024. It was an incredible accomplishment to be sure, and one that was celebrated by the team and its fans with a victory parade in Baton Rouge. But it was business as usual for those involved with the program.

In fact, in an interview with ESPN last year, head coach Jay Clark said they had done “nothing” differently ahead of the 2025 season.

“The only thing that changes are the things that change year over year regardless, because you have personalities and attributes and gymnastics that leave, and then you have personality and attributes and gymnastics that come, and you have to figure out how do you backfill those voids, whether it’s personality traits or leadership traits,” Clark said. “You have to let each team develop its own personality, but the destination is always the same.”

That all remains true, but the team did make a slight change this fall. They’ve utilized “accountability partners” for the past several seasons, matching teammates with one another to help each other throughout the season, and this year the idea has been supercharged into “Tiger Teammates.” Per McCool Griffeth, members of the team are assigned to a different partner every month and they are tasked with getting to know each other and encourage one another as much as possible during that time. They also created “Motivation Monday,” in which the team picks a different word for the week and comes up with something they can do together to emphasize the word.

While that idea is new, Mondays have always been the most crucial day of the week for the team. During the season, no matter what has happened over the weekend — whether it’s a big victory or a challenging loss — everyone gathers in the meeting room to reflect on the week that was and set the tone for the one to come. A pyramid is posted on the wall as a reminder of what the team decided to make its core values at the start of the season. This year, the words, “With each other, for each other” sit at the very bottom as the foundation for everything else.

“We do it every single week,” McCool Griffeth told ESPN. “There are so many crucial things we can see visually, and hear and talk about, and the consistency of that is something we believe in a lot.”

And it’s not just rehashing who scored what on which event, or often about scores at all. It’s usually the little things that carry the most weight.

“We do shout outs in the meeting room, and we hear the things even [the coaches] don’t see,” McCool Griffeth said. “[The gymnasts] will often share what their teammates have done, and what they appreciated, and all the ways they have gone out of their way for one another. We try to emphasize that everyone has the ability to influence in so many ways, and really acknowledge what everyone brings to the team.”

Everyone on the team was heavily recruited and highly successful before arriving in Baton Rouge — but with 21 members on the team this season and with just six competing on each event, not everyone will have the chance to compete every week. And for some, they rarely will crack an event lineup throughout their four years. Even Dunne, a former junior national team member and arguably the most famous collegiate gymnast in recent memory, only consistently made the lineup on one or two events during her career. (An injury sidelined her most of her fifth year in 2025.) It can be a challenge for young gymnasts, used to being the star at their club, to accept a different role.

Even for those, like McClain and Chio, who immediately make an impact in their first season, adjusting to being part of a team after years of primarily competing only as an individual can feel like culture shock. McClain said she wasn’t fully comfortable with the all-for-the-team approach until the end of last season. Her Achilles’ injury ironically helped her in that regard as she had to find a different niche for herself when she wasn’t able to practice for several months, and then it was sealed after the devastation in Fort Worth. The switch, as she said, was flipped.

“In the summer, after the season didn’t go the way I wanted it to, I was like, ‘Okay, this is my time,'” McClain said. “I am finally going to put everything I have into this team no matter how the year looks for me. I just want to do what’s best for the team.”

In addition to likely being one of the team’s most consistent and important gymnasts this year, McClain has embraced a leadership role and hopes her own personal growth will help some of the underclassmen reach that point sooner than she did.

For McCool Griffeth, Clark and the rest of the coaching staff, being a gifted gymnast is just part of the equation when it comes to one’s value to the team, and sometimes in conversation about the team and its priorities, it almost feels secondary. Because for the Tigers, being part of the team — and buying into that idea fully and completely — is what is most important.

And while McCool Griffeth will tell you the coaching staff is most focused on process-based goals, and improving week after week throughout the season, the emphasis on the team and what it means to be a part of it — no matter one’s role — might just be the extra edge that gets the Tigers past the defeat of 2025 and back to where they feel they belong in the spring.

“Our goal is to win a national championship,” Chio said. “It’s LSU, I think that’s just kind of a given. And I just want everyone to be as close, and bonded, as possible. These are my sisters, and we will have fun, and just keep grinding every second, until we reach the top together.”