Memphis Grizzlies Rebuild with New Signings and Trades Following Ja Morant Trade
The Memphis Grizzlies have made significant changes to their roster this offseason, with the most notable being the trade of star point guard Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. This move marks the beginning of a new era for the Grizzlies, as they look to rebuild and become a competitive force in the NBA.
The Grizzlies' offseason was all about flipping the page on their past era led by Ja Morant and transitioning into a new rebuild. The biggest news surrounding the Grizzlies over the summer was their decision to trade their star point guard Ja Morant to the Blazers in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray.
After selecting Morant second overall in the 2019 NBA Draft and spending years building around him, the Grizzlies decided to completely start over, trading Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and most recently Morant all within the last year, truly signaling that the Grizzlies wanted a fresh start and are entering a rebuilding season.
Besides the departure of Morant, the Grizzlies also lost Santi Aldama and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope over the summer. While all three were capable pieces when on the court, the Grizzlies supplemented those losses with a ton of new additions this summer, the first two being Grant and Murray from the Blazers trade.
Grant is a league veteran who's been in the league since 2014, spent the last four seasons with Portland and averaged 18.6 points per game last season while shooting 45.3% from the field and 38.9% from three-point range. Although Grant may not be in his prime and may not be the ideal player Memphis wants as one of its top scoring options, his presence will be valuable on an unproven and weak Memphis squad.
Besides Grant, the biggest addition Memphis made was the selection of Cameron Boozer with the third pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Boozer was arguably one of the most polished and NBA-ready prospects in this year’s draft and, in his freshman season at Duke, averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 55.6% from the field.
Boozer’s excellent size at 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds projects well at the NBA level, and he’ll aim to form a strong and sturdy frontcourt duo with his 7-foot-3 center Zach Edey. The duo will be crucial in the Grizzlies' rebuilding efforts.
Lastly, the Grizzlies also acquired D’Angelo Russell, Isaiah Stewart and AJ Johnson through trades and added forward Quinten Post through free agency. Russell and Stewart should provide important veteran presence on what is an incredibly young and inexperienced Grizzlies roster.
Expectations are low entering this year for the Grizzlies, who are entering Year 1 of their new-look roster amid their rebuild. The Grizzlies will be focused on long-term growth and success and will hope to see jumps in improvement from Cedric Coward and Zach Edey, as well as their new young star in Cam Boozer making an impact at the NBA level.
The Grizzlies will look to build on their recent performance, which saw them lose their last five games, including a 132-101 defeat to the Houston Rockets on April 13, 2026. With a new roster and a renewed focus on rebuilding, the Grizzlies are ready to take on the challenges of the 2026-27 season.
