The Los Angeles Lakers had a hard time holding down Anthony Edwards in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. What may face them next is not only solving how to execute that defensive strategy, but doing it with Ja Morant as an additional obstacle as well.
The doom and gloom coming from the Memphis Grizzlies right now has been obvious for everyone to see. Morant looks every bit of a disgruntled star with his organization, and it was never going to take long before rival teams started honing in on that situation.
I asked Ja Morant if he has his usually joy right now.
— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) November 4, 2025
“No.”
One of the teams reportedly monitoring Morant has been the Minnesota Timberwolves. NBA insider Sam Amick revealed as much when diving into his latest assessment of the future for the Grizzlies star in a write-up for The Atlhetic.
Amick wrote, "His baggage has been well chronicled, but there is still no shortage of teams that will continue monitoring his situation. The Minnesota Timberwolves, per a team source, are one. Ditto for the Sacramento Kings. ... The Houston Rockets, ... per a team source, are unlikely to pursue him."
Navigating supercharged Timberwolves threat would be a Lakers nightmare
JJ Redick and his Lakers defense struggled to keep up with Edwards for a plethora of reasons. It was not just one single thing that stood out.
For starters, the Lakers really did not have a great perimeter matchup to be largely tasked with challenging Edwards. That forced multiple bodies, switch-heavy schemes, and a ton of exploitation by the Timberwolves superstar.
The Lakers are still searching for a permanent two-way solution in their starting lineup for a player capable of defending someone like Edwards. At least they solved a different issue that plagued them in that matchup: Los Angeles actually has reliable size down low to contest attempts at the rim.
It is still early, but Deandre Ayton is giving the Lakers a lot of comfort at their starting center spot. That should help deter players like Edwards and Morant who thrive at the rim.
How exactly would those two work as a duo? Could Morant and Edwards comfortably coexist? Probably, yes.
"I mean it's the same every night, let it fly."
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 13, 2025
Anthony Edwards on shooting threes and what he picked up from his Olympic teammate Steph Curry 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5eGMYWZuW2
Edwards expanding his offensive arsenal to become an elite 3-point shooter is the difference-maker in allowing him and Morant to operate cohesively together. The Timberwolves guard averaged 39.5 percent from deep last season on 10.3 attempts per game.
That, coupled with his athleticism and ability to cut to the basket, should give him ample room to thrive while Morant has the ball in his hands. Vice versa may be a bit more challenging. The Grizzlies star has always been best dominating the basketball.
Even so, with Mike Conley aging, Donte DiVincenzo being more of a combo guard, and Rob Dillingham not being ready, acquiring a star point guard to pair with Edwards would be an understandable move for Minnesota. For the Lakers' title dreams, they should hope this hypothetical duo remains just that.