Despite initial reporting to the contrary, the New Orleans Pelicans have reiterated they are not interested in a Ja Morant trade.
One source close to the process tells @TheSteinLine that there are no discussions between the Pelicans and the Grizzlies on a potential Ja Morant deal ... despite persistent speculation to the contrary.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 26, 2026
More of the latest from NBA Trade Season is here: https://t.co/aft2KOTo6P https://t.co/dPeRxOELfy
This is excellent news for Atlanta Hawks fans, as each loss in New Orleans brings ATL one step closer to finding a star in the 2026 draft. After the Pelicans traded the rights to their draft pick this year in a 2025 draft-night trade, the Hawks have had a vested interest in seeing New Orleans continue to fall down the standings.
Morant has been likened to Trae Young many times this season. Once game-breaking offensive talents, Morant and Young have cooled off over the past few seasons. They are also known for their less-than-pristine defensive reputations (and, more concerningly, their questionable effort on this end).
While both players dragged their respective teams to unlikely success in their heyday, nagging injuries have dampened their offensive impact just enough to scare opponents from splurging for the former All-Star point guards.
After the Hawks’ star was traded for pennies on the dollar, it appeared Morant would have a similarly-low price tag. If anything, this made it only more logical for a team like the Pelicans to make a win-now move – it wouldn’t be desperate if they could acquire Morant at a similarly-marked-down price.
New Orleans is content with their roster, and nobody can explain why
There are many words that can describe how the 2025-26 season has been for the Pelicans, but “successful” is not one of the applicable adjectives. They held sole ownership of the league's worst record for weeks, only recently picking up a couple of wins to move above it.
New Orleans sits at the bottom of the West this season. Their 12-36 record (25% win percentage) gives them the third-best lottery odds, with only the Wizards and Pacers managing to lose more games.
While Morant would objectively be a strange fit with the timeline in New Orleans, he would certainly improve this team. For a franchise that has historically been unable to decide whether they are tanking or competing, acquiring Morant would be in character. Plus, the Murray State product's asking price is the lowest it will ever be. In a vacuum, it's not unreasonable to desire Morant.
So long as the Pelicans do not make any win-now moves, such as trading for Morant, Atlanta should expect an excellent pick at the end of this season.