Yes, the Ja Morant to the Trail Blazers trade is real. You may think it has nothing to do with the New York Knicks, but it actually does.
Portland traded Kris Murray, whom it selected with the pick from the Josh Hart trade with New York, to Memphis. Not that the Knicks needed more proof that they won that trade. There is more to it than that.
Remember what New York got in return for RJ Barrett, who was drafted the pick after Morant in 2019? Oh yeah, OG Anunoby. It might've felt like the world was ending when the Knicks didn't get the No. 1 pick that year in the draft lottery, which turned out to be Zion Williamson, but it actually helped set them up for their 2026 title.
The Grizzlies received Murray and Jerami Grant in return for Morant, and neither compares to the value that Anunoby gave the Knicks. Zion is still with the Pelicans, but if they traded him, they wouldn't get anyone like OG, either. Not even close.
Ja Morant trade made the Knicks look even smarter
Leon Rose wasn't around in 2019 when New York drafted Barrett with the No. 3 pick, but he did orchestrate the Anunoby trade at the end of 2023. And of course, at the beginning of that calendar year, he brought Hart to the city.
The Knicks didn't just lose Barrett in the OG trade; they also lost Immanuel Quickley, but still, that's a deal the front office would do a million times over. The same goes for the Hart trade.
If New York didn't have Barrett, Anunoby could've ended up elsewhere, and the Game 4 tip-in would've never happened. There might not have even been a Game 4. And if the Knicks didn't give up that protected first-round pick for Hart, he wouldn't have been flying all over the place the past couple of years, securing rebounds that other players his size never would've had a chance at.
They got what they wanted out of both trades — a championship. In the end, that's all that matters, but it's nice to see Rose and the front office get a couple more pats on the back, all without even being involved in the Morant trade.
Oh, and it's worth adding that Portland probably won't come out of its latest trade on the winning side, either. A Ja-Damian Lillard backcourt won't be what the Trail Blazers seem to think it will be. They would've been better off keeping Hart, but it's a good thing they thought otherwise!
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