New NBA Rumors on Ja Morant's Expected Blazers Role Ahead of Debut Alongside Damian Lillard

Ja Morant is reportedly expected to be thrust into an unfamiliar role during his first season with the Portland Trail Blazers.

According to ESPN Andscape's Marc J. Spears , it is believed Morant will come off the bench for Portland at the start of the 2026-27 campaign, which is something he did only twice in 327 games as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.

The reason for the change is the fact that the Blazers have a crowded backcourt with Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson on the roster in addition to Morant.

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Portland acquired Morant from Memphis during the offseason at what seemed to be a discounted price, as the Blazers sent Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to the Grizzlies, while including no draft pick compensation.

Originally selected second overall in the 2019 NBA draft out of Murray State, Morant looked like a superstar in the making early in his career.

He was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2020 and Most Improved Player in 2022, and he earned back-to-back All-Star selections in 2022 and 2023.

However, Morant has been limited to a total of just 79 games over the past three seasons combined due to injuries and off-court issues that resulted in multiple suspensions.

Morant's 62 missed games last season were entirely related to injury, as he missed significant time with calf and elbow ailments.

He did manage to average 19.5 points, 8.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game when he played last season, and his career averages of 22.4 points, 7.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds per contest are impressive.

For the Blazers, landing Morant felt like a low-risk move since the 27-year-old guard is only under contract for two more seasons.

On top of that, the Blazers have plenty of guard depth in the event that he is injured or ineffective.

Portland was one of the NBA's biggest surprise teams last season, reaching the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a 42-40 record.

In addition to returning key players such as Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, Toumani Camara, Holiday and Henderson, the Blazers have now added Morant and Lillard to the mix as well.

It remains to be seen how all of the pieces will mesh, but the talent is undoubtedly there to make another run to the playoffs.

Morant's tenure in Portland will begin Wednesday night when the Blazers host the Phoenix Suns in their regular-season opener.