{"id":166080,"date":"2025-11-07T11:28:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T16:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=166080"},"modified":"2025-11-07T11:28:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T16:28:07","slug":"celtics-next-big-move-a-swoop-for-ja-morant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/07\/celtics-next-big-move-a-swoop-for-ja-morant\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtics\u2019 Next Big Move? A Swoop For Ja Morant"},"content":{"rendered":"

BOSTON \u2014 In the NBA, remaining still can be fatal. The best teams adjust, pivot, and seize unexpected openings. The Boston Celtics<\/a> may now have that opportunity by pursuing Ja Morant<\/a> in an unexpected swoop.<\/em><\/p>\n

Celtics\u2019 Next Big Move? A Swoop For Ja Morant<\/h2>\n
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Nov 3, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) checks into the game during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Boston entered the season expecting a gap year after Jayson Tatum\u2019s<\/a> devastating Achilles tear during last season\u2019s playoffs. Many assumed a full rebuild was in motion after the team also moved on from Jrue Holiday<\/a> and Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is<\/a>. Yet, against expectations, the Celtics sit tenth in the East with a 4\u20135 record \u2014 just 1.5 games behind the cluster tied for second.<\/p>\n

Team CEO Wyc Grousbeck made the team\u2019s initial stance clear. \u201cWe\u2019re assuming he\u2019s not coming back, and we\u2019re not even going to have any discussions about it,\u201d Grousbeck said on WEEI<\/a> last month. He added, \u201cAt some point, he\u2019s going to be ready to come back. Whenever that is, we\u2019ll get five doctors\u2019 opinions, we\u2019ll ask him how he feels, and then we\u2019ll all decide jointly, let\u2019s do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Tatum\u2019s recovery may surprise everyone. Surgeon Martin J. O\u2019Malley, who operated on Tatum, said<\/a> back in September, \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve seen a person\u2019s calf look as strong as his. At six or eight weeks he was doing double heel rises.\u201d That speed suggests a faster return than initially projected \u2014 meaning the Celtics\u2019 so-called gap year could quickly shift direction.<\/p>\n

The Perfect Opening for a Star Swoop<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Enter the possibility that Celtics trade for Ja Morant. The Memphis guard has appeared visibly frustrated this season. His discontent with head coach Tuomas Lisalo has spilled into the public eye. Timeouts often show Morant standing apart from his teammates, expression blank, his energy far from the high-flying spark fans remember.<\/p>\n