Ja Morant's first game against Grizzlies takes painful turn after Trail Blazers star exits originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Ja Morant's first game against the Memphis Grizzlies was always going to attract attention. The former face of the franchise spent seven seasons in Memphis, developed into one of the NBA's most electrifying guards and became one of basketball's most recognizable personalities.
His departure in June marked a significant change for both Morant and the organization that selected him with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Thursday night provided the first opportunity for the two sides to face each other.
Unfortunately for Morant, the reunion did not end the way he hoped. The Portland Trail Blazers guard exited with a left hamstring injury during the fourth quarter of a 124-103 loss to Memphis.

#memphis #grizzlies

Blazers' Ja Morant exits Grizzlies game with hamstring injury appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Portland Trail Blazers took on the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday, with Ja Morant's revenge the main storyline following his exit from Memphis in the summer. However, Morant's game ended prematurely after he left the game due to a left hamstring injury and did not return.
Ja Morant has a left hamstring injury and will not return to tonight’s game against Memphis.
— Brett Siegel (BrettSiegelNBA) October 30, 2026
Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)

#hamstring #injury #clutchpoints

The Memphis Grizzlies, fueled by a triple-double from teenager Cameron Boozer, topped the Portland Trail Blazers 124-103 in a battle of NBA unbeatens on Thursday, Portland guard Ja Morant's first game against his former team ending with an injury.
Boozer, taken third in June's NBA draft, scored 18 points with 12 rebounds and 12 **** ists for the Grizzlies.
The game in Portland was billed as Morant's reunion with the Grizzlies, the team that drafted him second overall in 2019. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2020 and emerged as a star in his seven-year tenure in Memphis.
He also had a pair of lengthy suspensions and, after multiple injuries limited him to 20 games last season, he was traded in June.
Morant finished with 14 points, two rebounds and three **** ists before exiting in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury.

#memphis #game #team

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Cameron Boozer had the first triple-double of his NBA career with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 ***** ists, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-103 on Thursday night to move to 5-0.
The Grizzlies had seven other players in double-figures, including three players off the bench. Isaiah Stewart led the Memphis reserves with 18 points. Deni Avdija led the Blazers with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven ***** ists.
Ja Morant had 14 points and three ***** ists in 23 minutes in his first game against his former team but left the game in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return. One game after hitting a game-sealing 3-pointer against the Lakers, Damian Lillard went 3 of 13 from the field on Thursday.
With the Grizzlies holding a 2-point lead, they went on a 10-0 run to make it 87-75 with 2:09 left in the third quarter.
A 3-pointer by Zach Edey with 9:47 left gave the Grizzlies a 96-85 lead, forcing a Blazers timeout.

#points #game #left

Ja Morant's first meeting with his former team as a Portland Trail Blazer came to an early end, after the guard was ruled out with a left hamstring injury.
Morant was officially ruled out by the team during the fourth quarter of Thursday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies. He finished with 14 points, two rebounds and three ****** ists in 23 minutes of play.
This story will be updated.

#team #ruled #memphis #grizzlies

Blazers news: Ja Morant reveals what he looks forward to most in Portland debut appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Portland Trail Blazers are well under two months away from kicking off their 2026-27 NBA season. The Blazers raised many an eyebrow this summer when they acquired Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies, giving up wing Jerami Grant and other ****** ets in the process.
Now, Morant has revealed what he is looking forward to most about beginning his new journey in Portland.
"Getting to play with new guys and being able to touch the floor again," he said, per the Blazers' official team account on X, formerly Twitter.
Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)

#clutchpoints #memphis #grizzlies

The Portland Trail Blazers star Ja Morant has officially put his Memphis days behind him, as he no longer has a home in the city where he was drafted. The former Grizzlies player sold his two-story mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, for a reported amount of $3.2 million earlier this week after initially listing it for $3.5 million.
He initially paid $3.05 million for the mansion and has since made a $150,000 profit on the sale four years after buying it in 2022, when he signed his $197.2 million max contract with the Grizzlies. The house reportedly has seven bedrooms and spans 13,836 square feet on 6.45 acres.
'Homes of Celebs' got an inside look at the property. They described that it has a beautiful foyer, a home office, a living room with a built-in bar, a formal dining room, a kitchen, a private lounge, an en-suite bathroom, walk-in closets, a salon, a poker room, a billiards room, a sauna, a movie theater, and much more.
This property is apparently just 62 feet away from a property that he bought for his parents with his first contract in 2019. Morant reportedly has a net worth of $50 million and has already earned about $150 million through 2026 of his $236.8 million in guaranteed career earnings (leaving almost $87 million in future earnings over the next two years).
The 27-year-old begins a new life in Portland with the Trail Blazers, now looking to bounce back from a controversy-ridden 2025-26 season in Memphis. Former NBA players Isaiah Thomas, Matt Barnes, and Stephen Jackson feel all eyes will be on Ja Morant in 2026-27 for a comeback season.

#memphis #property #grizzlies

NBA star Ja Morant has sold his Eads, Tennessee mansion for $3.2 million after purchasing it in 2022 for around $3 million following his $200 million contract extension. The property sits just 62 feet from the home he bought for his parents in 2019, reflecting his desire to stay close to family. With over 13,000 square feet, the estate combines scale, privacy, and a layout built for both daily living and entertaining.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Ja Morant sells Tennessee mansion

#morant #eads

Raymond Felton: 'I'm going with what Patrick Beverley said.' Charlie Villanueva: 'As a point guard, if you want to win, and you want to like… for me, I know when that flow, he's going to find you. I'd rather have Stockton on my team. I'm going Stockton. I'm going Stockton. And it's not even close.'
YouTube
Raymond Felton: 'I'm going with what Patrick Beverley said.' Charlie Villanueva: 'As a point guard, if you want to win, and you want to like… for me, I know when that flow, he's going to find you. I'd rather have Stockton on my team. I'm going Stockton. I'm going Stockton. And it's not even close.' — 8/20/2026 YouTube
Raymond Felton: Ja Morant is frying John Stockton's ****** . Charlie Villanueva: In one-on-one? Felton: You understand me? Villanueva: John Stockton was a defender. He led the League in steals! What are we talking about?! — 8/20/2026 YouTube
During a recent episode of "The Pat Bev Show," former NBA player Patrick Beverley boldly claimed he would pick Ja Morant ahead of NBA legend and arguably the greatest pure point guard of all time, John Stockton. Although such a statement could be deemed blasphemous, Beverley justified it by stating: "Some people go John Stockton. I'm going Ja Morant. Some people go John Stockton because he's an actual point guard. He's going to get the ball where it needs to be. He's going to be heavy on the pocket pass. He's going to be a great leader. That's cool. Ja Morant is running circles around John Stockton's a–. Straight up. He's going to be jumping over John Stockton's a–.""I'm talking about the Stockton with the little shorts that was playing against Michael Jordan and them. I'm a huge Stockton fan. He played against the greatest ever. He did compete. I'm not taking that away from him. As a better player, a lot of people would take John Stockton. I'm taking Ja Morant." — 8/20/2026 Yahoo! Sports

#felton

After starting the season on the road against Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors will have to wait to return home for their home opener in the Bay Area. In their second game of the 2026-27 slate, the Warriors will open the doors of Chase Center for the first time against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, Oct. 23 in San Francisco.
While Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson have headlined Golden State's matchups with Memphis in the past, the 2026-27 home opener will give the Warriors their first chance at a new-look Grizzlies rotation that is littered with young talent, including the No. 3 overall pick from the 2026 NBA draft. Cam Boozer will lead a Grizzlies youth movement alongside Cedric Coward, Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells.
Since Chase Center opened its doors in 2019, the Warriors have struggled in home openers, posting a 2-5 record in seven seasons in San Francisco. However, the Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak in home openers last year when Steph Curry dropped 42 points in an overtime win over the Nuggets.
The Warriors won all three contests against the Grizzlies last season, including a 17-point comeback led by Pat Spencer. Steph Curry only played in one of the three games against the Grizzlies last season.
Golden State's home opener will mark their first back-to-back of the season, with a game against Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks and the Suns the very next day in Arizona. The Warriors will only play two games at home in San Francisco in October. However, November starts with a lengthy homestand at Chase Center.

#golden

Ja Morant flexes hard with $250K iced-out chandelier set on his birthday originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Ja Morant's final year with the Memphis Grizzlies was underwhelming by his standards. In 20 appearances during the 2025-26 season, he averaged 19.5 points and 8.1 ***** ists. Plus, his shooting percentage hit a career-low 41.0 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from three-point range.
Due to a mix of suspensions and severe injuries over his final years in Memphis, the Grizzlies traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. Morant, who spent seven seasons with the franchise, has since called the move an opportunity to start fresh and shed his "bad guy" image.
He turned 27 this Monday and celebrated his birthday by flashing an iced-out chandelier grill set in an Instagram video shared via plug_geo. It reportedly cost $250,000 and features GIA-certified diamonds. In the close-up video, he could also be seen smiling while showing off layered chains and stud earrings.
However, fans on social media shared mixed feelings about Morant's luxury mouthpiece.

#chandelier #birthday

We gave you our Eastern Conference offseason report card.
So, it is time to hand out grades in the West, where no single team earned an A or F. That fact reflects how little movement of consequence occurred in the conference.
While NBA icons LeBron James and (we presume) Kawhi Leonard are headed East, LaMelo Ball and (we think) Brandon Ingram are the stars bound for the opposite direction, and neither moves the needle much for his new team. Same goes for Ja Morant, who was traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Morant and Ball may raise the ceilings for the Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves, respectively, but they also lower their floors. In all likelihood, neither Portland nor Minnesota is any closer to contention than it was without doing a thing, so each of those teams earned a C, because we grade around the curve of: Did you get better?
Teams are also graded on ***** et management. Regardless of how we feel about the present state of a roster, did the franchise take steps this summer to build toward a better future? Here's looking at you, Los Angeles Lakers, who spent big, both in salary and draft picks, locking themselves into a team that is … still not a contender?

#morant #conference

The Portland Trail Blazers have seemingly decided that having too many guards isn't actually a problem.
Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson are all expected to enter training camp on Micah Nori's roster, with Portland reportedly believing it can make the overcrowded group work.
That's certainly one way to handle it.
But if the Blazers are committed to keeping Henderson despite acquiring another ball-dominant point guard in Morant, then it's time to prove they remain equally committed to his future.
Henderson is eligible to sign a rookie-scale extension until Oct. 19, the day before the 2026-27 regular season begins. If the two sides don't reach an agreement, he'll make $13.6 million in the final year of his rookie contract before entering restricted free agency next summer.

#morant #make

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope won his first ring next to LeBron James, now he is headed to Philadelphia to try and do it again.
Caldwell-Pope and the Grizzlies are working out a buyout, and once the veteran wing clears waivers, he intends to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes.
KCP moving on from Memphis is not a surprise. He was brought in while the team still had Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. and was looking to win. With the Grizzlies pivoting to a youth movement — plus they are dealing with a roster crunch — it makes sense to buy out KCP, who is set to make $ 21.6 million this season. (KCP likely gives the Grizzlies a discount of exactly how much he can sign with the 76ers for.)
Caldwell-Pope was a key part of the Lakers' **** le run in the bubble, and three years later became a starter for the Denver team that won a **** le behind Nikola Jokic.
However, the past couple of seasons his game has slipped. Last season in Memphis, he averaged just 8.4 points a game and shot 31.6% from 3-point range. He was out from February on after having surgery to adjust a misaligned pinky finger on his right hand.

#philadelphia #sign #title

A former Ohio State legend looks like he will be on the move.
According to a Yahoo Sports report, the Memphis Grizzlies and D'Angelo Russell are in discussions to work together to let the veteran guard find a new home.
The Memphis Grizzlies are undergoing a rebuild after the trade of their star Ja Morant this offseason and it does not seem to be a timeline fit with Russell. The sides are discussing a potential buyout agreement or possibly trade. A potential move would have Russell land with his fourth team in two seasons.
Russell was traded to the Grizzlies in a six-team trade earlier in the offseason. He spent time with the Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards last season.
Russell, 30, appeared in 25 games for Dallas in 2025-26. He chose to opt-in to the final year of his contract which was for $6 million dollars.

#grizzlies #trade

Drew Hill: Ja Morant is welcoming a fresh start. He said he wants to show Portland a "different Ja." But that reality is still sinking in. "I'm definitely grateful for my time in Memphis," he said. "That will always be home for me."
x.com
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: "I'm definitely grateful for my time in Memphis," he …

Lakers can fix defensive issues next to Luka Doncic by trading for $134M All-World defender originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
If the Los Angeles Lakers can do anything over the next few months, I'd love for them to go get a POA defender.
The Lakers, at the moment, don't really have much resistance on defense.
Unfortunately, the Lakers really don't have many ******* ets or much money to move on from as well. That's why trading for certain players would be nearly impossible, though I'd love to see the Lakers make a move that could help them win immediately.
One of the players I'd love for them to go after is Jrue Holiday, the Portland Trail Blazers guard who might not be much of a perfect fit in Portland any longer because of the Ja Morant route.

NBA free agency 2026: Trae Young, Neemias Queta highlight best and worst contracts handed out during first week originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2026 free agency class wasn't a particularly great one. And we're still waiting for the biggest shoe to drop as LeBron James continues to weigh his options on what new team to join.
Despite the lack of headline names, there were still some very good and very bad deals signed this summer. Contracts for role players may not seem like a big deal, but they are oftentimes the biggest value-adds for contending rosters. Saving money on your fourth or fifth-best players are the type of smart moves on the margins that allow teams to get bigger stars on their payroll down the road.
There were several of those types of transactions. Some teams made out like bandits, while others made decisions that are going to cause a lot of pain down the line. Using my salary model, here's what the best and worst contracts of the summer were.
OFFSEASON TRADE GRADES: Giannis to Heat | LaMelo Ball to Wolves | Julius Randle to Nets | Ja Morant to Blazers | Kawhi Leonard to Raptors | Jaylen Brown to Sixers, Paul George to Celtics

Bringing the ball up, Cameron Boozer drove left. A few dribbles later, he pulled up for the baseline fadeaway jumper. The mid-range bucket swished through. The 18-year-old showed why he's not your older brother's typical NBA power forward. The game has evolved.
The Oklahoma City Thunder opened their 2026 Summer League with an 111-74 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Two lottery picks headlined the exhibition. And no offense to Aday Mara, but Boozer showed why he went No. 3 in the 2026 NBA draft.
Boozer finished with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, four rebounds and four ***** ists. To get things started, he slashed at the dunker's spot and went up for a jam despite Mara's 7-foot-3 frame contesting him. That type of blue-collar bucket is what the Grizzlies are latching onto.
Moving on from Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane over the last year, the Grizzlies are starting over. They're in the infancy stages of a rebuild. Blessed with lottery luck, Boozer hopes to be Memphis' first foundational piece of its new era.
Here's what the Thunder had to say about Boozer. They were the first team to face him in an NBA setting:

Posting up near the right elbow, Aday Mara went to work in the post. He only needed a couple of dribbles as he backed up Lawson Lovering. Feeling himself, the 7-foot-3 center showed off his footwork and patience by swishing in the turnaround fadeaway jumper.
The Oklahoma City Thunder fell in a 111-74 Summer League loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. While the result was known for most of the game, fans were at least rewarded with flashes from the top prospects in their debut for their NBA home.
It didn't take long to tell that one of these teams is a ***** le contender and the other is going through a rebuild. Cameron Boozer holds the hope of every Grizzlies fan right now — especially with the recent departures of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. And he quickly showed why he was the No. 3 pick of the 2026 NBA draft.
Meanwhile, the Thunder fell behind quickly. Any competitiveness from this game was erased by the end of the first frame. They were in a 33-22 deficit. Things only got worse from there. It didn't take long for the Grizzlies to balloon their lead beyond 20 points. The second frame played out the same way with duplicate scores.
At the halftime break, the Thunder were in a 66-44 deficit. Pretty bad, but you gotta remember the scoreboard is irrelevant at Summer League. Rational folks should see if rookies can show something. And after a slow first half, OKC finally saw that with its top draft pick.

We are approaching 48 hours into 2026 NBA free agency, and a lot has happened.
Kawhi Leonard is a Toronto Raptor again. LeBron James is no longer a Los Angeles Laker. Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the Miami Heat. Jaylen Brown is no longer a Boston Celtic.
Should we go on? LaMelo Ball is a Minnesota Timberwolf. Ja Morant is a Portland Trail Blazer. The Lakers spent $70 million in salary cap ***** e, much of it on Walker Kessler.
Our heads are spinning. We can imagine how you feel. So, we've sorted it all out for you in our annual look at the early winners and losers of free agency, starting in Los Angeles …
Shoutout, storybook endings.

While free agency is not over, things have slowed down after a furious first few days. And now the attention turns to Summer League action, which begins with smaller tournaments in California and Utah this week before the entire NBA meets in Las Vegas on July 9.
Summer League and regular-season play are two entirely different animals, but the action gives fantasy managers a small glimpse into how teams hope to use their rookies. Here are ten players to watch over the next two-plus weeks.
Ja Morant, Norman Powell and other offseason moves affecting fantasy basketball in 2026-27
Between trades and players deciding to stay put, there has not been as much star power in this summer’s free agency window.
Raphielle Johnson

The final game of the 2025-26 season was played on June 13, 2026, when the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the Finals to capture their first championship since 1973. That celebratory moment felt like a lifetime ago.
In the past four weeks, the NBA Draft Lottery, NBA Draft, and free agency have all either concluded or commenced. There’s been plenty of roster movement — league-altering trades, agreed-upon free agency deals and more. And just as we try to catch our breat, the NBA Summer League is upon us. In the following sections, I’ll highlight 10 returning players who fantasy managers should pay attention to in the California Classic, Salt Lake City Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League.
The San Antonio Spurs’ young players accelerated their learning curve this past season and, as a result, finished way ahead of schedule with an NBA Finals berth. While Carter’s minutes per game weren’t very high as a rookie (11.1), he has a case for being included on that accelerated path, albeit comfortably behind the likes of Dylan Harper, his fellow 2035 draft classmate. He logged minutes in several big-time postseason games for the Spurs less than one month ago. And with the uncertain future of Harrison Barnes, Bryant has a chance to play a much larger role as a second-year player — even with Tobias Harris being added to the equation.
Bryant was already a notable performer in the 2025 Summer League and should be one of the better guys to lace them up during these offseason games. A good showing could give him a head start and a potential second-year leap, leading to greater fantasy value.
Once it was clear the direction Memphis was moving in last season — trading away Jaren Jackson Jr. and shutting down Ja Morant — Small got a chance to audition for a prominent role. His time to shine came after the All-Star Break, when he immediately logged a 16-point, four-steal performance before playing well over the next 20 games and posting averages of 13.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 1.3 steals on 50.8/45.7/84.2 shooting splits post-All-Star Break. With Morant departed to Portland via trade, there’s no clear starting point guard over in Memphis at the moment. A strong Summer League showing should provide fantasy managers confidence that, at the very least, Small returns as a nightly contributor off the bench. At best, he earns a full-time starting gig at point guard, which could equate to meaningful fantasy production.

The Dallas Mavericks have acquired Santi Aldama in exchange for A.J. Johnson, a top-20 protected 2030 first-round pick that originally belonged to the Golden State Warriors and two second-round picks, according to DLLS’ Marc Stein.
Aldama, a 7-foot Spaniard, spent the first five years of his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 14 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.9 **** ists last season in Memphis while shooting 35% from 3 on 4.7 attempts per game. The 7-footer’s willingness to take 3-pointers will be immensely valuable to the Mavericks, who are building around the rim pressure Cooper Flagg provides.
The Rookie of the Year and Aldama, who is only 25 years old, should show synergy on the hardwood together. The versatile big man showed the ability to play with a slashing guard in Ja Morant and more traditional big men such as Zach Edey and Steven Adams.
He also played more than 2,000 minutes with former Grizzlies power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. A lineup with Mavericks rookie Morez Johnson Jr., Flagg and Aldama should provide unique versatility for Mavericks head coach Dusty May’s offensive scheme.
Aldama will make $17 million this upcoming season, and the Mavericks hold a $17 million team option on him for 2027-28.

Damian Lillard walked into the NBA as a grizzled veteran.
The moment he stepped foot in Portland, he was ready to lead and impart wisdom on his teammates.

He’s always had the utmost confidence in himself, and he’s used that excess confidence to embolden those around him.
“I’m not surprised by it,” Lillard said at the news conference following his Rookie of the Year selection. “That’s not meant to be a **** y statement. But I’m not surprised by it at all because I put the work in to put myself in this position.”
Now thirteen years into his NBA career, he’s only refined his leadership skills.

Those will come in handy soon, as the Blazers have traded for the callow yet phenomenal Ja Morant, giving Lillard his tallest task yet.
The Blazers paid possibly the lowest-ever price for a 26-year-old two-time All-Star and Second-Team All-NBA player; Trading away Jerami Grant and Kris Murray was an exchange of bad money for worse money.

Kawhi Leonard is headed back to the Toronto Raptors, after they struck a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers to reunite with the player who led their run to the 2019 NBA championship, a person with knowledge of the talks said Tuesday.
The Raptors are sending Brandon Ingram, Gradey ***** , two first-round picks, two second-round picks and pick swap to the Clippers for Leonard, said the person who spoke to The ***** ociated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not received the required league approval.
Leonard spent one season in Toronto, and that was the year the Raptors won their lone ***** le. He turned 35 on Monday but is coming off the highest-scoring season of his career, averaging 27.9 points for the Clippers in 65 games.
Leonard is a seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, a two-time NBA champion (also having won in 2014 with San Antonio) and is generally considered one of the game's top defensive players.
The trade is the latest in what's becoming a long line of huge deals getting made between clubs already this summer, one that has seen Giannis Antetokounmpo getting traded by Milwaukee to Miami, Ja Morant getting moved to Portland by Memphis and now this — one where the Raptors will hope that Leonard can weave his ***** le magic one more time.

If the Portland Trail Blazers were ever truly serious about trading for star Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown , it appears that such an avenue for the Blazers front office has passed. Echoing similar comments from senior ESPN reporter Shams Charania, Stein Line contributors Jake Fischer and Marc Stein report that Portland is not currently planning to make a run at the former finals MVP.
"They pursued Giannis Antetokounmpo . They've coveted Brown for some time as well. They were expected to chase Davis, too, if extension talks with the Wizards went astray," writes the duo. "Yet that's all off the table now after Portland seized on the opportunity to pilfer Morant from Memphis at such a minimal cost."
But it is not just the Blazers who are reportedly eschewing an opportunity to deal for Brown this summer as Boston seeks to sort out the mess they made in looking to swap the Georgia native for (then) Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, per the Stein Line.
They write that "the Clippers , whether or not their talks with the Raptors progress all the way to a completed deal, have not pursued Boston's Jaylen Brown this offseason."
And in case we were wondering whether this was more an order-of-operations take in terms of when such a pursuit could occur, they also noted that the "Clippers aren't planning to make a run at the Celtics' MVP candidate."

Life in the NBA can change on a dime. Former Iowa basketball forward Kris Murray found that out the hard way.
On Monday, news broke of a blockbuster NBA trade involving the Memphis Grizzlies and the Portland Trail Blazers. The Grizzlies are dealing two-time All-Star guard Ja Morant to the Trail Blazers in exchange for forward Jerami Grant and Kris Murray.
For Portland, it's a move that signals they're swinging for the fences and ready to start winning consistently. Morant has some injury and off-the-court issues, but is a talented player when available. The Grizzlies are getting off his contract and get to recoup a little value with Murray, a former first-round pick.
The trade officially ends Murray's tenure in Portland. He appeared in 188 games as a Trail Blazer, making 50 starts. He averaged 5.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.7 steals per game over those three years. He'll now get the opportunity for more playing time on a rebuilding Grizzlies squad. Murray should see some extended run as Memphis sets itself up for the 2027 NBA Draft.
It's a huge year for Murray's future in the NBA. He's entering the final year of his rookie contract and is set to be a restricted free agent next summer. A breakout year in Memphis could get him paid next offseason. Struggles could put his NBA future in jeopardy.

INDIANAPOLIS -- NBA free agency officially opens at 6 p.m. on Tuesday with the flipping over of the league calendar which formally allows teams to begin negotiating with free agents who are not their own. Players can't formally sign until July 6 so this is sometimes considered a "legal tampering period" but there will be news about players agreeing to change teams starting not long after the clock hits 6 p.m. in the Eastern time zone.
That being said, teams have been able to negotiate with their own free agents since the day after the NBA Finals and in the same stretch teams have been able to engage with other on trades so some of the biggest personnel stories of the summer have already come to pass. The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade between the Bucks and Heat the day before the draft still marks the biggest move of the summer, but Monday was one of the overall most active days of the cycle so far as it marked a deadline for many players and teams to decide on player and club options for this season.
Over the course of the day, some of the league's most interesting free agents came off the board either because options were exercised or extensions were executed. Among them were Sacramento's Zach LaVine, Golden State's Kristaps Porzingis, Houston's Fred VanVleet, Miami's Andrew Wiggins, the Lakers' Deandre Ayton, Oklahoma City's Luguentz Dort, Detroit's Kevin Huerter, San Antonio's Julian Champagnie, the Clippers' Brook Lopez and Utah's Jusuf Nurkic. However, there was a major trade with troubled All-Star point guard Ja Morant going from Memphis to Portland for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray and intrigue among several players who either declined options or saw their clubs decline them.
Former MVP James Harden declined his player option but is apparently working on a multi-year deal with Cleveland. Golden State's Draymond Green declined his player option, but the point of that was apparently to open up room under the first luxury tax apron to allow the Warriors to try to make plays for the Lakers' LeBron James and the Wizards' Anthony Davis to try to pair the two Olympians with Green and Stephen Curry. Atlanta's Jonathan **** inga had his club option declined as did the Clippers' Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nicolas Batum and Oklahoma City's Kenrich Williams. The Clippers' Bradley Beal and the Lakers' Marcus Smart both declined player options to opt for free agency.
The Pacers for their part have been fairly quiet and there isn't much smoke going around about their potential involvement in any player movement. They picked up the $2.8 million club option for Micah Potter, which gives them the bird-in-hand advantage of having three centers under contract heading into free agency. However, his contract is not fully guaranteed until July 10, so they can continue to monitor the free agent market to see if they can find a better center and waive Potter if they do.

INDIANAPOLIS -- NBA free agency officially opens at 6 p.m. on Tuesday with the flipping over of the league calendar which formally allows teams to begin negotiating with free agents who are not their own. Players can't formally sign until July 6 so this is sometimes considered a "legal tampering period" but there will be news about players agreeing to change teams starting not long after the clock hits 6 p.m. in the Eastern time zone.
That being said, teams have been able to negotiate with their own free agents since the day after the NBA Finals and in the same stretch teams have been able to engage with other on trades so some of the biggest personnel stories of the summer have already come to pass. The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade between the Bucks and Heat the day before the draft still marks the biggest move of the summer, but Monday was one of the overall most active days of the cycle so far as it marked a deadline for many players and teams to decide on player and club options for this season.
Over the course of the day, some of the league's most interesting free agents came off the board either because options were exercised or extensions were executed. Among them were Sacramento's Zach LaVine, Golden State's Kristaps Porzingis, Houston's Fred VanVleet, Miami's Andrew Wiggins, the Lakers' Deandre Ayton, Oklahoma City's Luguentz Dort, Detroit's Kevin Huerter, San Antonio's Julian Champagnie, the Clippers' Brook Lopez and Utah's Jusuf Nurkic. However, there was a major trade with troubled All-Star point guard Ja Morant going from Memphis to Portland for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray and intrigue among several players who either declined options or saw their clubs decline them.
Former MVP James Harden declined his player option but is apparently working on a multi-year deal with Cleveland. Golden State's Draymond Green declined his player option, but the point of that was apparently to open up room under the first luxury tax apron to allow the Warriors to try to make plays for the Lakers' LeBron James and the Wizards' Anthony Davis to try to pair the two Olympians with Green and Stephen Curry. Atlanta's Jonathan ******* inga had his club option declined as did the Clippers' Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nicolas Batum and Oklahoma City's Kenrich Williams. The Clippers' Bradley Beal and the Lakers' Marcus Smart both declined player options to opt for free agency.
The Pacers for their part have been fairly quiet and there isn't much smoke going around about their potential involvement in any player movement. They picked up the $2.8 million club option for Micah Potter, which gives them the bird-in-hand advantage of having three centers under contract heading into free agency. However, his contract is not fully guaranteed until July 10, so they can continue to monitor the free agent market to see if they can find a better center and waive Potter if they do.