As many people expected them to do for the past several weeks, the Miami Heat closed negotiations on a trade that will land them future Hall of Famer Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks. In return, they will give up star guard Tyler Herro, center Kel’el Ware, forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., guard Kasparas Jakučionis, the draft rights to Nate Ament, and multiple future draft picks.
While the Heat will now have their next franchise player in Antetokounmpo, they need more pieces around him to seriously contend for an NBA championship. They could use a legitimate point guard and have been linked to the Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant.
But former NBA player Joe Johnson and Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe firmly feel Morant wouldn’t be a good fit for Miami’s new-look roster.
Joe Johnson, Shannon Sharpe Explain Why Ja Morant Wouldn’t Be Good Choice for Heat
During an episode of the “Nightcap” podcast, Johnson mentioned two skill sets Miami will need now that Antetokounmpo is on board, and Morant lacks both of them.
“You’re gonna have too many [expletive] non-shooters,” Johnson said. “… If you’re saying you’re gonna have Ja, Greek Freak, and Bam [Adebayo], Ja can’t really play off the ball. He hasn’t shown he can play off the ball like that.”
Sharpe co-signed Johnson’s argument.
“He hasn’t developed a jump shot,” Sharpe said of Morant. “He don’t have a midrange shot, and he doesn’t attack the paint like he once did.”
Joe Johnson and Shannon Sharpe doesn’t think Ja Morant is a good fit with Giannis and Bam:
Joe: You’re gonna have too many damn non shooters. If you’re saying you’re gonna have Ja, Greek Freak, and Bam, Ja can’t really play off the ball. He hasn’t shown he can play off the ball… https://t.co/pntAbcRYA1 pic.twitter.com/CFcDF6arPL
— Heat Central (@TheHeatCentral) June 28, 2026
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Just a few years ago, Morant was one of the NBA’s brightest rising stars and one of its most exciting players. He averaged over 25 points a game for three straight years, was named an All-Star in 2022 and 2023, and made the Grizzlies into a very competitive team.
But since then, Morant’s stock has fallen considerably. He has suffered multiple injuries, has been involved in a few much-publicized off-the-court incidents, and his scoring and shooting percentage have plunged. He put up 19.5 points per game on 41.0% shooting this past season and only appeared in 20 games due to a calf ailment and UCL sprain.
Morant has a lifetime accuracy of 31.1% from 3-point range, and he’s very much an on-ball player who loves to attack in transition. The ideal point guard next to Antetokounmpo would be someone who can be effective both on and off the ball and is less ball-dominant.
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the NBA championship in 2021 with Jrue Holiday running the point. In addition to being an outstanding point-of-attack defender, Holiday is a good 3-point shooter and has a lower usage rate than Morant.