A trio of recent All-Star point guards tends to be lumped together in conversations among NBA front offices lately.
Charlotte's LaMelo Ball, Memphis' Ja Morant and Atlanta's Trae Young all seem to be stuck in a sort of limbo with the franchises that they've been the faces of since entering the league as high lottery picks. There is rampant speculation among rival teams that Ball, Morant and Young could all be available leading up to the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
For a variety of reasons, from their maximum contracts to their major flaws, it's not a discussion that generates much enthusiasm despite their status as big names who have put up big numbers.
"I wouldn't want any of them," a Western Conference general manager told ESPN.
That was a popular opinion in an informal poll of executives, scouts and coaches conducted by ESPN. There wasn't a consensus about which one of the three would command the biggest return if they ended up getting shopped in the trade market, as votes were split among Ball, Morant and Young.
"They all might have negative value," an Eastern Conference executive said.
Another West general manager added: "When there are these sort of unwanted superstars, sometimes they end up getting traded for each other. I wouldn't be surprised if that happens in this case."
Why are a collection of the league's most brilliant playmakers perceived as unwanted? Why wouldn't teams be lining up to land such talented point guards who are either approaching or in the early stages of what should be their primes?
With input from around the league, ESPN examines those issues on a case-by-case basis.
Jump to a player:
Trae Young | Ja Morant | LaMelo Ball
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks didn't make much of an attempt to negotiate a contract extension with Young this summer, the first offseason with general manager Onsi Saleh in charge of basketball operations. That was considered a clear indication that Young's future in Atlanta was murky, although he downplayed that concern this fall.
"I'm not worried about it," Young told ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "As much as I wish it was [done], it's not all in my hands and I can't control everything. I just can only control the present. And I know if we win, everybody eats. ... I understand what winning can do."
The Hawks have been winning lately, but Atlanta's success this season has come while Young has been sidelined with a sprained MCL in his right knee. That only further clouds his future with the franchise. Atlanta was 1-3 when Young was injured during the first quarter of an Oct. 29 win in Brooklyn. The Hawks, led by ascending star forward Jalen Johnson, have gone 12-5 since Young went down, including a road win over the Nets.
The difference has been drastic on the defensive end, which has always been an issue for Young, in part due to his 6-foot-2 frame.
The Hawks allowed 123.2 points per 100 possessions and had a minus-9.2 net rating in Young's 139 minutes this season. Atlanta has allowed 111.1 points per 100 possessions with a plus-3.9 net rating in 879 minutes without Young.
In other words, the Hawks with Young in the lineup would rank dead last in the league in defensive efficiency. Without him, the Hawks have defended at a top-five level.
"He's just small and doesn't play any defense," an East scout said.
That scout valued Young more than Morant and Ball, primarily because of his offensive prowess and lack of off-court concerns. Several people mentioned the long-running perception that he's unpopular with teammates as worrisome, especially considering that Young creates so many dunks and open looks with his passing prowess.
The pressing question for the Hawks, as well as potential suitors, is whether Young's offensive impact merits such a massive financial commitment. He has career averages of 25.2 points and 9.8 assists, and the Hawks have plummeted offensively without Young on the floor in previous seasons.
"His offensive impact is so great," said a West head coach who ranks Young atop this guard trio, although he would be hesitant to trade for him because of the players it would cost to make the outgoing salary match.
Young, 27, has a $46 million salary this season and a $49 million player option for 2026-27. He remains eligible to sign a four-year, $229 million extension until June 30.
The Hawks could opt to play out the season and risk losing Young in free agency. ESPN projects five teams -- the Nets, Bulls, Lakers, Jazz and Wizards -- to have at least $50 million in available salary cap space this summer. The Clippers could join that list but at the expense of James Harden, Brook Lopez, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nicolas Batum. The four players either have a team option, or their contracts are not fully guaranteed.
It's uncertain whether any team would be more eager to give Young another max contract than the Hawks have proved to be. There is doubt about whether a team built around Young can be a true contender, even though he led the Hawks to the 2021 East finals, averaging 28.8 points and 9.5 assists in the playoffs.
"He might just be the ultimate floor raiser, which has its value," another East scout said. "But he's definitely imperfect."
The Hawks have done a commendable job of balancing their roster and finances for the future. Even after signing core young players Johnson and Dyson Daniels to rookie extensions worth an excess of $250 million, Atlanta could keep Young and free agents to-be Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kennard while remaining well below the luxury tax and both salary cap aprons.
The Hawks, however, have signaled the intent to evaluate this roster before making any further financial commitment to Young.
Multiple rival executives speculated that the Hawks would have to acquire another primary ball handler to replace Young, whether that's in a trade for him or otherwise. That solution could come at the top of what is considered a loaded 2026 draft class.
Atlanta, after what's widely perceived as a draft night steal of a deal in which the Hawks moved down 10 spots in the first round to allow the Pelicans to select Derik Queen at No. 13, own the rights to the more favorable of New Orleans' and Milwaukee's 2026 first-round picks. The Pelicans currently have the West's worst record.
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies opted not to engage Morant in discussions about an extension when he was eligible for one last summer, when Memphis eagerly committed to a five-year, $240 million deal with power forward Jaren Jackson Jr.
That prompted rival front offices to wonder whether Morant, whose star rise has been detoured by suspensions and injuries since his consecutive All-Star appearances in 2021-22 and 2022-23, would still be in Memphis by the end of his current contract. Morant's deal runs through 2027-28, when he is due $44.9 million.
"This is a big season for Ja," Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said at media day in September. "I think it is fair to say as we continue to build this team, to be able to achieve a high-end outcome, we need Ja to be a consistent, All-NBA-caliber player."
The opposite has occurred. Morant has clashed with first-year head coach Tuomas Iisalo and performed poorly.
Morant is averaging 17.9 points, down almost 10 points from his All-NBA campaign in 2021-22 and his lowest since his rookie season, while shooting career worsts of 35.9% from the floor and 16.7% from 3-point range. The Grizzlies are 4-8 with Morant, who has been sidelined since Nov. 15 due to a calf strain, in the lineup.
Morant has been in the spotlight more for a couple of postgame confrontations than anything he's done on the court this season. The Grizzlies suspended Morant for a game due to conduct detrimental to the team.
Morant also made news for verbally accosting Dallas Mavericks veteran Klay Thompson after watching the Grizzlies' Nov. 22 win from the bench in street clothes, pointing his finger in the four-time champion's face and calling him a "bum."
Thompson's biting commentary that night summed up much of the league's perception of Morant at this point.
"It was really just running his mouth, and he's been running his mouth for a long time," Thompson said. "It's funny to run your mouth when you're on the bench. It's kind of the story of his career so far, just leaving us wanting more."
Due to three suspensions and a couple dozen injuries, Morant has played in fewer than 40% of the Grizzlies' games since his two All-Star selections.
"The combination of pain in the ass, injury prone, not that good anymore and big contract is a bad one," said an East executive, who added that he wouldn't want Morant on his roster regardless of salary.
Morant is only 26, but some talent evaluators around the league believe that his best years have already passed. Those skeptics compare Morant to Derrick Rose and John Wall -- smaller guards who relied heavily on spectacular athleticism that was sapped by injuries, shortening their stints as superstars.
"Has Ja already lost his pop?" a West scout asked. "When is the last time he put his chin above the rim?"
Morant emerged as one of the NBA's most electrifying stars primarily because he was so dynamic attacking off the dribble. But he's shown increasing hesitancy to drive into the paint. According to Basketball Reference, the percentage of Morant's field goal attempts within three feet of the basket has dipped each season and plummeted this season. Only 15.4% of his attempts have come from that close range this season, less than half of his career norm.
"Either you're declining at a rapidly fast rate, or you've quit on this [coach]," a West executive said.
Morant has readily admitted that he stopped attacking the rim with reckless abandon as a way to protect his body, blaming officials for putting him in harm's way by swallowing their whistles.
"I'm getting no foul calls," Morant told reporters earlier this season. "Y'all had a whole spiel about running in there careless and getting hurt. So what now? That's what y'all want me to go back doing? Let's end that convo right here."
The problem is that Morant remains a poor jump shooter, even though he relies on his jumper with more frequency than ever.
"Ja has been going down, down, down," one of the West GMs said. "I don't know how much of that is due to motivation. You've got to be able to look under the hood. I'm just not sure about his health."
However, others expressed some optimism that Morant could revitalize his career with a change of scenery.
That contingent of coaches, scouts and executives considers Morant a more proven winner than Young and especially Ball, even though the Grizzlies have won only one playoff series in his career. They believe Morant's competitive fire can burn again in the right circumstances.
"I think Ja is the one who can maybe be saved," a West executive said. "If he's got to prove he can play [to get paid again], you can get him."
Another West executive added: "It's a gamble, but I truly believe that Ja will be fine at his next stop. But [the Grizzlies are] going to have to move Ja. They don't have a choice."
LaMelo Ball says that a trade request did not come from him and adds that he loves the Charlotte Hornets organization.
LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
Ball swiftly and firmly shot down a recent report that he had grown increasingly frustrated in Charlotte and was open to a trade, calling it "false info."
"I love being here," Ball told reporters after a Nov. 21 practice, the day after the Yahoo! Sports story published. "I ain't saying nothing. I'm just trying to win, that's it. That's what we're going to keep doing."
There were two common reactions to Ball's comments from scouts and executives around the league.
They appreciated Ball's apparent understanding that he was in no position to try to force a trade, not as an inefficient, injury-prone player in the second season of a five-year, $204 million contract.
They were also amused by Ball's stated desire to win. That is in stark contrast to the leaguewide perception that winning isn't a priority for him, a reputation he's earned with his shot selection and what's viewed as an indifference to playing defense.
"He takes the same shots now that he took in high school," a West assistant coach said. "Nothing has changed. I actually thought early in the year he was giving more of an honest effort defensively, but the offensive side looks like nothing has changed."
The Hornets, who are off to a 6-14 start, have had a winning record once since drafting Ball in 2020. They went 43-39 in 2021-22 before being blown out in East's 9-10 play-in game for the second straight season.
"Can I trust LaMelo in the playoffs and games that matter late in the season?" an East executive said. "We just don't know."
Ball has been plagued by injuries since that second play-in appearance, primarily to his right ankle, playing in only 36, 22 and 47 games in the past three seasons as Charlotte finished near the bottom of the East standings. Ball recently missed six games with impingement in that ankle.
His durability issues significantly diminish his value, but the 24-year-old Ball's laissez faire approach to the game is viewed as his biggest flaw.
"Nobody has ever questioned the talent," a West executive said. "But he's just so unserious."
One West scout said he considered the 6-foot-7 Ball, who has career averages of 21.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists, to be the most talented of this trio of point guards. Yet that scout said he would rank Ball last on the list because his bad habits seemed to be so deeply ingrained.
Coaches, scouts and executives often roll their eyes when discussing Ball's tendency to launch long 3-pointers off one foot early in the shot clock. Ball's bad shot selection is a significant factor in his career-worst percentages (37.9% from the floor, 28.1% on 3s) this season.
"He's definitely one of the top three most talented guards in the league," a West executive said. "But every [scouting] report I write on him has the word 'Globetrotter' in it."
Added a West scout: "They all have their warts, but I don't think you can win anything with LaMelo."