Grizzlies offseason Zion Williamson trade proposal after David Griffin firing.

NBA fans have often debated who should have gone first overall in the 2019 NBA Draft between Zion Williamson and Ja Morant. Back in 2019, Williamson was taken with the number one pick by the New Orleans Pelicans, while the Memphis Grizzlies snagged Morant at pick two. At the time, Williamson was viewed as one of the greatest prospects of all time, but injuries have prevented him from reaching his fullest potential. Even so, the freakishly athletic power forward has been dominant on the offensive end when he has actually been on the court.

Morant, meanwhile, has been more reliable, and he even established himself as one of the best players in the NBA. The point guard from Murray State has been far from perfect, though. Morant has been suspended twice, and his production has been down over the last two seasons. Morant has picked up his play in recent months, but he has toed the line of getting in trouble yet again because of the gun/violence-related celebrations that he hasn’t been able to stop doing.

Regardless of these two players’ flaws, there is no denying just how talented they are, and considering that they will be forever connected because of the 2019 NBA Draft, it would be fun to see them play together. Changes are coming in Memphis because they fired their coach, Taylor Jenkins, and Williamson is one of the best players on the trading block this offseason. Perhaps the Grizzlies could make a move for Williamson to pair him up with Morant.

Pelicans receive: Desmond Bane, 2027 first-round pick

The Grizzlies had a far-from-ordinary end to their regular season. Jenkins was fired late in the season because he reportedly lost the locker room and because the Grizzlies struggled against fellow playoff teams. They finished the season as the eighth-seed, so they will play the Golden State Warriors in the Play-in Tournament.

If the team continues to struggle, then personnel changes could be on the horizon this offseason. Morant averaged 26.2 points per game as recently as 2022-23, but he missed all but nine games due to injury and suspension last season, and his numbers regressed to 23.2 points per game this season. He struggled, especially as a shooter, for the first half of the season, and many believed after the Jenkins’ firing that the Grizzlies may end up trading him.

Morant finished the season off strong, though, and now a Morant deal looks to be less likely. Williamson would be an interesting trade target to pair with the point guard, though, considering a move of some sort does seem inevitable in Memphis.

Morant is one of the most explosive players in the NBA. Pairing him with a fellow elite athlete like Williamson would be a scary thought for opposing defenses, few of which would have the personnel to slow the duo down. The former number one and number two overall draft selections would be particularly deadly in the pick and roll. If defenses focus on Morant, then Williamson would be there for the alley-oop, but if they take away Williamson, then Morant can finish on anybody in the painted area.

This deal would require the Grizzlies to part with Desmond Bane. Bane has been a great third option for the Grizzlies because he can scale up or down depending on who he is playing with, and his 3-point accuracy arguably compliments Morant’s skillset better than anything Williamson does. However, trading Bane and only one first-round pick isn’t bad when adding someone with as much potential as Williamson. After all, the Duke product has averaged 24.7 points per game for his career.

cutout of Grizzlies’ Ja Morant doing the bomb celebration (see attached), with Warriors’ Stephen Curry beside him, looking worried. NBA play-in tournament logo beside them

This is a high-risk, high-reward move for the Grizzlies. Williamson is the piece that could take the Grizzlies to the next level, but he nor Morant are the most reliable players. Memphis has regularly been near the top of the Western Conference standings in recent years, and this deal could blow up in the team’s face. Williamson hasn’t done much of anything to prove that he can play close to 82 games a season. Still, something might have to change in Memphis, and Williamson would certainly elevate

that team’s ceiling.