Ja Morant

September 4, 2026

Joining crowded backcourt

Morant (elbow) is set to share the playmaking duties with Damian Lillard (Achilles) in Portland's starting backcourt after being traded from Memphis.

Analysis

Chris Haynes of NBA TV reported when the trade went down that the Trail Blazers had a Morant and Lillard backcourt pairing in mind, so it'll be interesting to see how the ball-handling responsibilities are divvied up in 2026-27 should they stick to that plan. Morant endured yet another injury-plagued campaign with the Grizzlies in 2025-26, making just 20 regular-season appearances while shooting a career-low 41.0 percent from the floor and 23.5 percent from deep, and he's reached the 60-game mark just one time over the past five seasons. With plenty of questions surrounding his fit in his new digs, the dynamic 27-year-old point guard is shaping up as a difficult fantasy player to rank as a high-risk, high-reward gamble in the second half of drafts.