The Milwaukee Bucks had an opportunity to land Ja Morant at the NBA Trade Deadline this season, but they came up short. While many believe they will reignite their interest this summer, they will be tasked with outbidding what is shaping up to be a robust market. Per Jake Fischer (subscription required), the Memphis Grizzlies will find a "wider" trade landscape for Morant this summer.
That makes the task at hand only more challenging for the Bucks.
Bucks' Morant trade odds are suddenly slimmer
As Fischer points out, Morant generated limited interst when the Grizzlies were dangling him in trade talks in February. The Milwaukee Bucks were one of the few teams who showed legitimate interest in a trade for the guard mid-season. His value was certainly low, given that he missed a considerable portion of the year due to injury. If the Bucks wanted him, that would have been the time to go all-in.
Now, with Morant healthy and opposing teams having a clearer idea of where they are at in terms of their rosters, there should be more Morant interest. Things should only become even clearer once the NBA Draft Lottery passes and teams know whether they might be in a position to land a point guard or if trading for one would be their best course of action.
No matter what, the Milwaukee Bucks went from being potentially the only suitor to just a drop in the bucket in the span of a few months.
Bucks' Morant stance will be fascinating to monitor
There are two primary factors to keep in mind with Milwaukee's potential Ja Morant interest.
No. 1: How strongly Memphis wants Ryan Rollins in return. Fischer previously reported (subscription required) that the Grizzlies wanted Rollins "in any iteration" of a trade to the Bucks. It's unclear how strongly Milwaukee feels about its standout two-way guard, but it would be risky to move him for an oft-injured guard, despite the name recognition. The idea should be to pair them together.
No. 2: What is the relationship between Morant and Taylor Jenkins? The two were paired together for a handful of years in Memphis, but there were murmurs that Morant got tired of the system put in place by Milwaukee's new coach. If the guard doesn't want to reunite with his former coach, that would put the Milwaukee Bucks in a difficult position if they were to acquire Morant.
Milwaukee's potential interest in Ja Morant this summer feels a lot more complicated than it may have been leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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