EARLY SEASON QUESTIONS SURROUND JA MORANT, ZION WILLIAMSON, TRAE YOUNG AND MORE
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Nov. 7, 2025 — A handful of marquee NBA players have entered the 2025-26 campaign with unresolved futures, and team executives across the league are already weighing how long their current situations can last.
Ja Morant | Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies suspended Morant one game last week after tense post-game remarks toward rookie coach Tuomas Iisalo. Memphis is 3-6, and Morant is posting career-low shooting numbers — 22.0 points on 38.3% from the field in 30.0 minutes. Still owed roughly $126 million over the next three seasons, the 25-year-old remains popular locally, and league sources say Memphis is motivated to repair the relationship before exploring trades.
Iisalo’s platoon-style substitutions, honed during championship runs in Germany and France, have met resistance in the locker room. One Western Conference general manager called the suspension “a ballsy move” that showed organizational support for the coach. While rival clubs see limited demand for another starting point guard, some executives believe center/forward Jaren Jackson Jr. — extended for five years and $240 million — would generate significant interest if Memphis pivots fully toward a rebuild.
Zion Williamson | New Orleans Pelicans
Williamson is out at least a week with his fifth significant hamstring injury, adding to a career total of 219 games played out of 480 possibilities. He is averaging 22.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in Year 3 of his $197 million deal. New basketball operations chief Joe Dumars publicly backed the former No. 1 pick this summer, but rival scouts question whether a ball-dominant non-shooter with durability concerns holds meaningful trade value. For now, executives expect New Orleans to wait rather than “sell low.”
Trae Young | Atlanta Hawks
Young, on the final guaranteed season of a five-year, $215 million contract, is sidelined about a month by a sprained knee. He is averaging 17.8 points on 37.1% shooting and 7.8 assists. Extension talks have not advanced, and one Western Conference executive said Atlanta is “doing its due diligence” on market value for a potential four-year deal worth roughly $230 million.
The Hawks own New Orleans’ 2026 first-round pick and have an emerging young core led by Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher. Atlanta has gone 3-1 without Young, giving the front office additional data before deciding whether to build another roster around the four-time All-Star or gauge interest from clubs willing to absorb a near-$50 million annual salary.
LaMelo Ball | Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte hoped to evaluate a trio of Ball, Brandon Miller and rookie Kon Knueppel, but Miller is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury and Ball has missed time with an ankle issue. The 6-foot-7 guard is averaging 23.3 points and 9.8 assists while shooting 43.0%. He has appeared in just 58.1% of possible games since being drafted third overall in 2020.
Second-round center Ryan Kalkbrenner has been a bright spot, averaging 9.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks on 83% shooting. Even so, Charlotte is 3-5 for the fourth consecutive season. Several scouts doubt Ball’s commitment to structured play, yet one executive insisted he would command the strongest market if he, Morant and Young became available simultaneously.
Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks
While other franchises face crossroads, Milwaukee has started 5-3 behind Antetokounmpo’s 32.3 points on 67.7% shooting and 12.6 rebounds per game. The Bucks rank in the league’s top 10 offensively and are converting 15.5 three-pointers a night at a 40% clip, thanks in part to fourth-year guard AJ Green’s 53% accuracy.
League insiders believe the two-time MVP will reassess the team’s trajectory around the 20- to 25-game mark. Trade conversations with New York last August — initiated outside Milwaukee, according to multiple sources — underscore the importance of the Bucks’ early momentum.
As the calendar turns toward the holiday trade moratorium, front offices are monitoring whether these franchises double down on their stars or prepare to test an already active market.
Source: ESPN.com
