Suns acquire Ja Morant in would-be blockbuster trade proposed by ESPN

The Phoenix Suns may be forced to make a drastic move this summer to fast-track the road to competitiveness, and their minimal avenues to do so will narrow their options greatly.

That may mean a move for Zion Williamson or Ja Morant, the first two picks from the 2019 NBA Draft, both of whom have come up short of their ceilings so far between injuries and off-court issues.

ESPN proposed Phoenix makes a move for Morant, trading role-filling wings Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and Haywood Highsmith along with guard Jamaree Bouyea and two second-round draft picks (2029 and 2032) to the Memphis Grizzlies.

The move would pair Morant with Devin Booker in the Suns’ back court, something many in Phoenix wanted to see happen when the Suns entered the 2019 draft lottery with the third-best odds at the top spot.

ESPN’s Ben Golliver writes it would also move Jalen Green into a tertiary role behind Booker and Morant, giving Phoenix “a decent amount of highlight-reel potential for a Suns team that lost in the play-in tournament and doesn’t have a clear path to joining the Western Conference’s elite.”

However, injuries have diminished what Morant can bring from a highlight standpoint, as evidenced by tracking his dunks over the last five seasons:

• 2021-22: 58 dunks in 57 games
• 2022-23: 55 dunks in 61 games
• 2023-24: six dunks in nine games
• 2024-25: 17 dunks in 50 games
• 2025-26: nine dunks in 20 games

He has only played 79 games over the last three seasons (about one-third of games), and his career high for games played in a season is 67.

The point guard has also been suspended for 34 games since March 2023, including separate 25-game and eight-game suspensions related to firearms.

He was suspended one game last November for detrimental conduct when he answered most postgame questions with “Go ask the coaching staff (about what happened in the game).”

But Morant does still bring a playmaking element that the Suns haven’t seen since Chris Paul, as Morant’s second-worst season by assists per game would still best any Phoenix player’s mark over the past three seasons. He averaged 8.1 assists per game in his 20 games last season.

The financial implications could prevent Phoenix from retaining key pieces to this year’s surprise season, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks writes:

Because the Suns would be taking back more salary in the trade, it would hard cap them at the first apron. The restriction could put them in a position to lose free agents Collin Gillespie, Mark Williams and Jordan Goodwin.

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