Rockets just made their Ja Morant trade stance crystal clear

Shortly after ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the Grizzlies are "entertaining offers" for Ja Morant, Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports said that the Houston Rockets aren't interested in trading for him. You can assume they're not among the "multiple teams" that Charania said are pursuing the 26-year-old.

At the end of December, insider Jake Fischer reported that the Rockets weren't "weighing changes to their team at the moment" and that they didn't "anticipate" doing so until closer to the end of January.

The front office didn't need to wait to make it known they're not interested in Morant, though. That isn't surprising for several reasons, from his availability concerns (he hasn't hit the 70-game mark in his career) to his off-court issues. Being without Fred VanVleet isn't enough to make Houston consider a deal.

Rockets not interested in trading for Ja Morant

Two days ago, the NBA world saw how little it cost for the Wizards to trade for Trae Young — just CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Atlanta received no draft compensation. It's worth wondering what Memphis could get for Young after that, but believe it or not, the Grizzlies could receive more than what the Hawks got, based on Morant's contract.

If Houston were interested, it shouldn't take much to acquire Ja, as teams aren't lining up to trade for guards with defensive limitations. He's also averaging 19 points (his lowest since he was a rookie in 2019-20) and 7.6 assists per game, shooting a career-low 40.1% from the field and 20.8% from three. Morant has been limited to 18 games this season and has missed the past few contests with a calf contusion. He missed time earlier this season with a calf strain.

The Rockets don't need to make a desperation trade, sitting sixth in the West with a 22-12 record, just two and a half games back from the No. 2 seed. It seems there is a chance VanVleet will return this season, as Marc Stein reported a few days ago that Houston isn't ruling out the possibility.

Imagine the boost it'd be if FVV returned in time for the postseason. That is more fun to think about than a Ja trade, although it will be entertaining to see what happens over the next few weeks leading up to the deadline. Charania didn't say Memphis is against keeping Morant, so maybe there won't be a trade.