NBA trade deadline intel: Why Grizzlies didn’t deal Ja Morant after Jaren Jackson Jr., Ivica Zubac shocker fallout

You never know what is true and what’s not until it happens in the NBA. Around the time of the trade deadline, rumors and intel are constantly flowing from one NBA team to the next, and each side is always attempting to gain leverage over the other in trade discussions. While a handful of deals are made every year before the All-Star break, so many advanced talks end up falling apart in the final stage.

Of course, then there are situations where trades simply do not develop as some had anticipated.

Take Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies, for example. This is one of those scenarios where the star player held virtually no market value amid all the other activity at the NBA trade deadline. There was never any deal close to happening for Morant and the Grizzlies, which is why he enters the back half of the 2025-26 season as a prime trade candidate in the summer.

Then there are situations like the one that transpired with Ivica Zubac and the Los Angeles Clippers. In the week leading up to the trade deadline, the Clippers signaled to every team calling about Zubac that they were not interested in trading him and that he would remain with the team, even after the James Harden-Darius Garland swap.

This obviously did not hold true, as the Clippers dealt Zubac to the Indiana Pacers in the final hour before the NBA trade deadline passed. How did this trade come together so fast, and why did the Clippers all of a sudden change their stance on trading their starting center?

Both Morant and Zubac are on opposite sides of the spectrum regarding the trade deadline: one was traded, and one was not.

That is the nature of the NBA trade deadline, and like both these players, so many other notable names and teams were involved in advanced trade discussions leading up to this past Thursday’s deadline. With that said, let’s dive right into what happened with Morant and why the next few months are expected to be his last in Memphis.

What’s next for Ja Morant, Grizzlies?

Since his feud with head coach Tuomas Iisalo and the coaching staff on Oct. 31, nothing has gone right for Morant and the Grizzlies. Aside from his injury concerns, Morant and the organization have been at odds, resulting in a new path being charted by GM Zach Kleiman and this front office.

It is very clear, especially after the trade deadline, that the Grizzlies are rebuilding and gathering assets for the future success of the franchise. Desmond Bane was traded in the summer for a slew of first-round picks, and now Jaren Jackson Jr. finds himself in a new home, as he was dealt to the Utah Jazz for three first-round picks and young talents like Walter Clayton Jr. and Taylor Hendricks.

Jackson’s trade came as a surprise to many fans, but the fact of the matter is that teams had been calling the Grizzlies about Jackson since before the holidays. As previously reported on ClutchPoints in early November, teams began making calls not only about Morant’s availability but also about Jackson’s as well.

At the time, pursuing the former Defensive Player of the Year seemed like nothing more than a long shot. However, with the Grizzlies not going anywhere in the standings and Kleiman wanting to hit the reset button with Morant, Memphis began seriously discussing trade avenues with teams regarding Jackson at the start of 2026, league sources said.

Jackson became a prime trade candidate for several teams around the league, including the Golden State Warriors, who held multiple trade discussions with the Grizzlies in the month leading up to the Feb. 5 trade deadline. The Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, and Atlanta Hawks all checked in with Memphis about Jackson as well.

How far these talks went and each team’s level of interest in Jackson is unknown.

Two other surprising teams that league sources pinpointed as teams with interest in Jackson before the trade deadline include the Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets. The belief among league personnel is that the Hornets’ interest was real rather than exploratory. As far as the Suns’ interest in Jackson goes, one can’t overlook his Michigan State connection with owner Mat Ishbia.

But the main reason the Suns did not pursue an all-in move like adding Jackson was due to the organization’s desire to keep their core group together. Phoenix did not want to shake up its roster and run into cap problems again by adding stars on big contracts. That is why their interest was described more as exploratory than anything else, simply seeing where Memphis’ head was at in trading Jackson.

With Jackson gone, Morant is the last man standing from the Grizzlies’ recent era of success. After all, it was not too long ago that this team won 56 games and advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals. Now, a new rebuilding era will commence in Memphis, and a trade involving Morant looks all too likely entering the summer.

So, why wasn’t Morant traded now at the deadline?

Rival teams around the league viewed Morant in the same light as Trae Young, where they would not sacrifice true assets for him, sources said. In fact, some teams the Grizzlies had reached out to regarding a potential Morant trade felt as if they were the ones who should be getting assets in return for taking on the 26-year-old’s contract.

Kleiman and the Grizzlies would not sell low by any means on Morant, which is why he remained with the team past the deadline. League sources say the Grizzlies would have done a deal if they received an offer including a first-round pick.

As far as what his future holds, Morant wants to play and return to the court this season once he is cleared from his current elbow injury, sources said. Whether the Grizzlies allow him to play again, seeing as they will likely begin tanking near the end of the season, is yet to be determined.

Whatever happens the rest of the season, it is very likely that Morant will be traded this upcoming offseason.

Clippers not fully rebuilding

Once Harden was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers less than 48 hours before the NBA trade deadline, teams began making calls to the Clippers to get a sense of what their next move was. Trading for Garland was not a step back necessarily for Los Angeles, but sending Harden to Cleveland led many teams to once again reach out about Zubac.

When the Clippers were 6-21 at the bottom of the league standings, rival franchises were calling the Clippers almost daily to see what the likelihood of them being sellers at the trade deadline was. Throughout their early-season struggles, executive Lawrence Frank and the Clippers’ front office continually told teams that they did not want to give up on the season or shake up their core.

As previously reported at ClutchPoints with Tomer Azarly, the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, and Charlotte Hornets were among five different organizations that held strong interest in Zubac before the December holidays. One team even offered a first-round pick and a future swap, which was later revealed to be Boston.

Interest in Zubac did not go away, especially from the Pacers’ perspective. Their main goal before the trade deadline was to find a way to move Bennedict Mathurin and add a center who could immediately get them back into the championship mix when Tyrese Haliburton returns for the 2026-27 season.

The Pacers continued to make calls to the Clippers in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, league sources said. At the same time, Indiana was also discussing what it would take to trade for Daniel Gafford from the Dallas Mavericks and Yves Missi from the New Orleans Pelicans. Other players, such as Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe from the Brooklyn Nets, were viewed as potential Pacers trade targets.

Zubac was the player Indiana had at the top of their list, which is why they continued to make an aggressive push for the All-Defensive center in the immediate aftermath of Harden being traded. Although the Clippers did not want to trade Zubac, this was seen as an opportunity to sell high and regain lost assets from previous deals made through the years.

As of Wednesday night before the trade deadline, the Clippers still held no interest in trading Zubac, yet the Pacers’ relentless approach resulted in them putting their coveted 2026 first-round pick on the table. This was a non-negotiable, as Los Angeles insisted that this pick be involved in a trade for Zubac before the deadline, sources said.

While the Pacers did not want to trade such a valuable draft asset for Zubac, they got creative by protecting it 1-4 and 10-30. Essentially, since the Pacers hold the second-worst record in the NBA, they currently hold slightly over a 50 percent chance at retaining this pick inside the top four. Should Indiana not get a top-four pick in the draft lottery, the Clippers will get this pick instead.

How the NBA Draft lottery plays out with this specific selection will be very telling for the Clippers’ immediate future, as landing a top prospect with the fifth or sixth selection would give them more reason to start fresh and devote time to their newfound youth.

That, along with Harden and Zubac being traded, is why Leonard is viewed as a major question mark in LA.

The talk among scouts and league personnel since the trade deadline is that a few teams called the Clippers about Leonard’s availability in the days leading up to the trade deadline after Harden was traded. Teams that spoke with ClutchPoints after the trade deadline hinted at Los Angeles receiving calls for Kawhi, but we were unable to confirm the exact teams or any legitimate details on the matter.

This upcoming offseason, Leonard will be entering the final year of his contract at $50.3 million, and it is expected that teams will engage in conversations with the Clippers about trading for the 34-year-old. Even though his knee health and injury concerns stand out, many are already comparing these upcoming talks to Leonard being traded by the San Antonio Spurs in the final year of his contract before the 2018-19 season.

It was then that the Toronto Raptors traded for Leonard without knowing what the future held for him in free agency. That move led Toronto to their first NBA championship.

Something similar could happen with Leonard this upcoming offseason. Maybe, just maybe, a return to the Raptors to compete for another championship is a scenario we could see play out.

Big man market heated up before Ivica Zubac trade

This year’s trade deadline was all about frontcourt talent. Multiple teams were looking to improve at the power forward and center positions, which is why we saw names like Ivica Zubac, Nikola Vucevic, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Jock Landale on the move.

However, plenty of notable frontcourt players involved in trade talks throughout the weeks before the trade deadline ended up staying with their current teams. This list includes Daniel Gafford, Yves Missi, Nic Claxton, Walker Kessler, and Domantas Sabonis.

Since many of these players were rumored trade targets for the Raptors, let’s just start there.

Sabonis was the top name linked to the Raptors throughout this year’s trade cycle, as Toronto made it clear they would be making some sort of move to add depth either in place of or next to Jakob Poeltl, who has been dealing with nagging back problems all season. Toronto also had a goal of moving below the luxury tax, which is the move they ultimately decided to make.

Despite the Raptors and Sacramento Kings engaging in serious trade talks about Sabonis, nothing ever truly materialized as far as Sabonis being on the verge of heading to Toronto because nobody around the league wanted to take on Poeltl’s contract. These two teams are expected to talk about Sabonis again in the offseason, especially since the Kings hold high interest in RJ Barrett, sources said.

In addition to talking with the Kings about Sabonis and the Grizzlies about Jackson Jr., the Raptors also made a very strong push the day of the trade deadline for Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz, league sources confirmed to ClutchPoints. Multiple first-round picks were offered by the Raptors for Kessler, who is out for the season after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder, yet the Jazz held zero interest in trading their young big man.

Other teams, including the Pacers before landing Zubac, showed heavy interest in trading for Kessler. The Jazz are fully expected to retain Kessler as a restricted free agent in the summer on a new long-term contract. After trading for Jackson Jr., Utah sees itself having a formidable big-man trio that can do damage defensively during the 2026-27 season.

The Pacers were certainly the most active team when it came to pursuing a center at this year’s deadline. Kessler was on their radar next to Zubac, and Indiana held trade conversations with the Mavericks about Gafford as well, sources said. His rim-running abilities and pick-and-roll fit next to the Pacers’ guards would have made a lot of sense, but these negotiations never truly gained any steam.

Whereas Dallas was looking to add an immediate first-round pick in 2026, Indiana was not prepared to offer this pick for Gafford by any means. It also didn’t help that the Mavericks did not hold much interest in Bennedict Mathurin, given his upcoming extension talks in the summer. The Mavs’ main goal was to have clean cap books entering the summer, which is why trading Davis to Washington was essential.

Another team that the Mavericks talked with at length about Gafford was the Atlanta Hawks, sources said. Along with a level of interest in Davis, the Hawks were exploring Gafford’s price point and seeing if they could land him utilizing the expiring contracts of either Kristaps Porzingis or Luke Kennard, as well as a future first-round pick.

Since Atlanta was not willing to discuss their second 2026 first-round pick, which is currently expected to be the Cleveland Cavaliers’ pick, these talks with Dallas never progressed.

Missi was another heavily discussed center this trade cycle, with the Chicago Bulls holding strong interest in him. Although Chicago attempted to trade for Missi on the day of the trade deadline, utilizing several second-round picks they had acquired, the Pelicans were not open to trading the young center unless they were to receive a first-round pick, sources said.

As a result, Missi will now be a prime trade target for teams around the time of the 2026 NBA Draft in June, as the Pelicans want to try to regain a first-round pick in this year’s draft.

Timberwolves to be aggressive in offseason

The Minnesota Timberwolves made an aggressive push for Giannis Antetokounmpo, one that would have involved several other teams in a multi-team framework to pair the Greek Freak with Anthony Edwards. Ultimately, the Milwaukee Bucks were never serious about trading Giannis at this year’s trade deadline, which is why Minnesota, along with several other teams, will once again look to pursue him in the summer.

After back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances, the Timberwolves have high aspirations to win the Western Conference and make the NBA Finals this season. Coming up short of this goal will result in changes to maximize Edwards’ emergence as one of the best players in the entire league.

One interesting note on the Wolves, outside of their strong pursuit of Giannis, is that Minnesota checked in on a few star-level players to see if there were any potential buy-low opportunities around the league in January. One of those stars was Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, sources said. Chris Haynes was first to report on the Wolves’ interest in Ball.

The Timberwolves wanted to add a key backcourt piece next to Edwards before this year’s deadline, and after seeing Trae Young traded in a salary-dump-like move by the Hawks, Minnesota made a call about LaMelo.

League sources have described these talks from the Timberwolves as more “exploratory” than anything else, especially since there were no active talks between the two sides leading into the first week of February before the trade deadline. The Hornets were not interested in trading Ball, and the Timberwolves were simply interested in seeing if his price matched that of Young’s, which it did not.

Even though they did make a trade for Ayo Dosunmu, expect to see the Timberwolves be very aggressive in the summer to maximize their championship future. New owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are focused on making their team a true title contender, and it appears they will be willing to pay whatever price it takes to win.

We mentioned Kawhi Leonard’s market likely to heat up in the offseason, and perhaps he would become a prime target for the Timberwolves if landing Giannis isn’t a realistic path.

Lakers’ immediate outlook & LeBron James’ future

With plenty of expiring contracts, many expected the Los Angeles Lakers to make a key upgrade to help their playoff push. Unfortunately for the Lakers, there was simply no market for them with their lack of assets and the wing market being completely dry.

Near the start of January, the Lakers held discussions with the Pelicans about Herb Jones, who was one of Los Angeles’ top trade targets, sources said. While the Lakers did explore the possibility of flipping their future 2031 first-round pick to try to get extra assets in a trade for Jones, the Pelicans were not interested in anything being offered.

The Lakers also attempted to pursue Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins, who Los Angeles also held interest in around the time of NBA Summer League in the offseason. However, Wiggins was held out of trade talks by the Heat unless there was a path to them strengthening their package for Giannis. That was not the case here with a potential Lakers trade.

Luke Kennard ended up being the Lakers’ only deadline addition, and he should leave his mark as a sharpshooter receiving passes from Luka Doncic and LeBron James, two of the best passers in the entire league.

As for LeBron and his future, many around the NBA are still of the belief that the 2025-26 season will not be his last. League sources who spoke with ClutchPoints believe James has one more year left in him and that he will want to finish his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, making what would be his 24 years in the league full circle.

How could the Cavs even make this work given their financial situation?

Well, there was a lot of talk after the Garland-Harden swap that the Cavaliers wanted to cut even more salary than they did. As things currently stand, the Cavs are $4.5 million over the second apron and will enter the summer as a second-apron team.

Max Strus and Jarrett Allen were two players who emerged in trade rumors during the days leading up to the deadline, yet both players remained with Cleveland. Could one or both players be involved in more discussions this offseason? Will the Cavs look to make a significant upgrade next to Harden and Donovan Mitchell using these two players?

Whatever the case may be here with the Cavs’ offseason plans, they can create enough space to give James a contract other than a minimum deal. Whether or not Cleveland would be willing to part ways with key assets like Strus and Allen to make this possible is the big question.

Nonetheless, the overwhelming majority see LeBron finishing his career during the 2026-27 season in Cleveland.

The post NBA trade deadline intel: Why Grizzlies didn’t deal Ja Morant after Jaren Jackson Jr., Ivica Zubac shocker fallout appeared first on ClutchPoints.