Ja Morant’s Trade to Portland One of the Most Bizarre Moves in 16 Years, Says NBA Insider Chris Haynes

Things have changed drastically in the NBA, with several blockbuster trades taking place this June. Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to the Miami Heat to play alongside Bam Adebayo. The Charlotte Hornets also made a surprise move by sending LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves, pairing him with Anthony Edwards. Then on Monday, the Memphis Grizzlies finally parted ways with Ja Morant, who was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers.

While Morant's departure marked the end of an era in Memphis, the trade itself wasn't entirely unexpected. His relationship with the franchise had deteriorated in recent years. He is now set to form Portland's starting backcourt alongside Damian Lillard. NBA insider Chris Haynes also weighed in on the move.

"This trade right, I've been covering the league for 16, 17 years now, it's one of the most bizarre trades I've seen in a while," Haynes said on NBA TV. "Again, it has nothing to do with Ja Morant. It's just based on fit only. ... Regardless of what happens, it's going to be exciting."

Morant was traded for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. It's no secret that the Grizzlies have wanted to let go of Ja for a while now. Morant has built a notorious reputation for misbehavior off the court. He's constantly getting fined due to league policies he fails to follow, such as showing guns on his social media accounts. This type of behavior has pushed the Grizzlies into letting him go.

On top of his misdemeanor, Morant has also become injury-prone in the past couple of seasons. His consistent absence has hurt the Grizzlies from contending in the postseason. Memphis will also reportedly focus on building around Cameron Boozer, Zach Edey, and Cedric Coward.

Ja Morant is Looking Forward to His Next Chapter

After seven years playing for the Memphis Grizzlies, Ja Morant is set to play for the Portland Trail Blazers next season. Morant will now be playing next to Blazers star Damian Lillard, who is also the team's leader. Morant has been the Grizzlies' main option for the past several years. It'll be interesting to see how his demeanor would change playing next to a fellow alpha.

Despite chemistry concerns addressed by NBA insider Chris Haynes, fellow league insider Sham Charania revealed that Morant is excited to play for the Blazers. Charania said that Portland spoke with Ja shortly after the trade took place.

"(The Portland Trail Blazers) felt like they had to take a swing just based on the talent that Ja Morant is and hoping that he has a chip on his shoulder and motivation to turn his career around," Charania said.

"I will add one more note: the Blazers did speak to Ja Morant shortly after the trade. I'm told he expressed to them that he's excited to be in Portland."

Portland's projected starting five next season features Lillard, Morant, Deni Avdija, Tounami Camara, and Donovan Clingan. This is assuming the Blazers don't make offseason moves anymore.