With the news that the Memphis Grizzlies could look to trade Ja Morant, the Los Angeles Lakers may have an opportunity to jump into the deal as a third team. Obviously, that could have been smart with a Trae Young trade, too, but that didn’t pan out. They have a second chance with the Morant sweepstakes.
Trading for Morant himself doesn’t make much sense for LA. They already have Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and a trio of them and Morant wouldn’t be a great fit. However, some of the teams that could want Morant may have some pieces that the Lakers might want.
But who are those players?
The Lakers should try to be a third team in a Ja Morant trade
One of the first ideas that comes to mind would be a potential trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Pairing Morant with Anthony Edwards could create a solid star duo, especially with Rudy Gobert’s defense to back them up.
If the Wolves wanted to add Morant, they would likely have to throw Reid in the deal. But if the Grizzlies didn’t want to take on Reid’s long-term money, perhaps LA could jump in and grab him.
He would be an absolutely awesome piece to have, either as a starter or a super sixth man. Reid’s scoring would be a beautiful complementary piece next to Doncic and Reaves moving forward.
Another team that could potentially be in on the Morant chase is the Sacramento Kings. Similar to the Reid situation, if the Grizzlies didn’t want Malik Monk, that could be a name the Lakers chase.
His scoring punch would give the Lakers a nice boost off the bench behind Doncic, Reaves, and LeBron James. Having that type of floor-spacing and ball-handling would be nice, too.
The Chicago Bulls could be a wild-card team that goes after Morant, too. Bringing in a star like him could help them usher in a new era of Bulls basketball (even though the fit wouldn’t make a ton of sense).
But all sense aside, if the Bulls did want Morant, the Lakers could try to snag someone like Ayo Dosunmu or Coby White, especially if Memphis wasn’t interested in signing them to a long-term deal.
There are certainly other examples, too. Teams like the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, and Miami Heat, all of whom could maybe be in on Morant, have pieces the Lakers could be interested in.
No matter who it is that tries to trade for Morant, the Lakers, with their large expiring salaries (Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber) and Dalton Knecht, should be ready to pounce.