For much of this season, it seemed that this would be a relatively quiet trade deadline. That quickly changed once the Atlanta Hawks traded Trae Young to the Washington Wizards. Now rumors have begun to intensify about Anthony Davis and Ja Morant among the top stars on the trading block. While both deserve fresh starts, the timing couldn’t be worse.
Advertisement
Three years ago, it wouldn’t have been a question of which players had more value. Davis would be somewhat fresh from leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship, and Morant was on pace to become the next face of the league. But a lot has since changed.
Davis has become extremely injury-prone over the years. The lack of security regarding whether he can be on the court has become a big deterrent for most teams. Especially considering he and his camp are pushing for a max contract extension with the Dallas Mavericks.
In Morant’s case, his production has fallen off drastically from the All-NBA level he once was at. His off-court scandals, along with an inability to see eye-to-eye with the current coaching staff has caused a rift with the organization.
Typically, teams can overlook these things, banking on a fresh start as a means of a resurgence. However, Morant hasn’t done himself any favors as he has only played in 18 games this season and shot 40% from the field and 21% from three-point range. No team is asking him to be Stephen Curry, but being a complete liability from the perimeter is not ideal for a starting guard.
Consequently, ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst believes that the Mavs and the Grizzlies are making a mistake if offloading the pair is what’s on their mind.
“Zion Williamson has more trade value than Anthony Davis or Ja Morant,” Windhorst said on Yahoo! Sports Daily. “A team could use him as a contract they could get out of.”
“Zion Williamson has more trade value than Anthony Davis or Ja Morant” @WindhorstESPN says Zion’s multi-year, non-guaranteed contract makes him marketable to other teams pic.twitter.com/JS4xRwev7d
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 14, 2026
The unique thing about Williamson is that his contract is unlike any other star in the league. Davis and Morant will continue to earn a pretty penny for the next couple of seasons. Williamson’s contract, on the other hand, isn’t guaranteed.
“Zion’s contract is non-guaranteed. When he signed the contract, it was completely unorthodox. It ended up coming to fruition that he is a max player on a multi-year non-guaranteed contract. We have never seen that in the history of the league. That actually increases his trade value,” Windhorst proclaims.
Teams are more wary about their payroll than ever before due to the second apron. Williamson’s contract is much more enticing because it doesn’t trap teams in the way Davis or Morant would. It creates room for flexibility even if another team lands the New Orleans Pelicans star and decides to wash their hands.
It’s hard to believe that Williamson’s value could set the bar high. But it’s just that Davis and Morant’s trade values have gone down significantly. It’ll be interesting to see exactly what type of package the Mavericks or the Grizzlies receive if they do part ways with their stars.
