Getty Ja Morant
The Murray State Racers are on the verge of sending yet another intriguing and talented guard to the NBA level. Ja Morant is pegged as one of the top prospects in the 2019 NBA Draft and in the eyes of some, has even rivaled Duke Blue Devils star Zion Williamson.
While that may be tough to buy into, Morant’s upside is tremendous and he’ll make a great fit for a number of the teams high in the draft lottery. The star guard has averaged 24.6 points, 10.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds this season while thriving as one of the best players in the country.
We’re going to break down three of the top landing spots for Morant, based on realistic options, and there’s no better place to start than with the Phoenix Suns.
Phoenix Suns Top Fit for Ja Morant
The Phoenix Suns have De’Anthony Melton, who’s flashed some upside to this point in his young career, as well as midseason acquisition Tyler Johnson and Elie Okobo. Even with all those names considered, Morant trumps them in a big way. He has a ceiling that’s unbelievably high and the Suns will have a legitimate chance to land him.
NBADraft.net has the Suns selecting Morant in their most recent mock draft with the No. 2 overall pick. There’s no question that point guard is the team’s biggest need, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens if they wind up with the No. 1 pick. At that point, it’d be tough to pass on Zion.
Memphis Grizzlies, Ja Morant Work if Mike Conley Dealt
There are obviously a number of directions that the Memphis Grizzlies can opt to go this offseason, but they were in talks to trade Mike Conley earlier this season. Assuming that still proves to be true, which it’s believed that’s the case, adding Morant would be a great move by Memphis.
The big issue for the Grizzlies is that they’re projected to land a pick somewhere around 6-10 at this point, so they may not have a chance unless they trade up. But if things worked out, Morant would be a perfect replacement for Conley and a top option to pair with the team’s young big men.
Chicago Bulls & Ja Morant Fit
This is where things get fun, and the future of Kris Dunn is a big talking point. As Spotrac shows, the Chicago Bulls have a team option on Dunn for the 2019-20 season which comes with a cap hit of just north of $5.348 million. For that price, the Bulls would likely keep him even with Morant or could consider trading him.
And even if the Bulls do hold onto Dunn and are able to land in the top three of the lottery, it’d be hard to pass on Morant. The thought of Morant playing alongside Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, Otto Porter and Wendell Carter is certainly appealing. It’d be interesting to see how the Murray State star plays alongside LaVine, but this pairing could be fun to watch.