​Ja Morant #1 of the Portland Trail Blazers could find himself on the NBA trade rumor mill. GettyThe NBA trade rumor mill never really stops spinning, but here in early October, there’s already significant speculation bouncing around, so let’s get into some bullet points before the Big Board. On his Bleacher Report live stream, insider Jake Fischer said that rival executives are keeping an eye on whether the Blazers could be looking at Ja Morant as a rehab-and-flip project, and that is something of a surprise. Morant has two years and $87 million left on his contract, and while there might be some interest there if he plays well, it’s more likely to come over the summer than at the deadline. Morant has played only 79 games in the last three years because of suspensions and injuries, and that’s just too long a litany of red flags to overcome in the next four months before the trade deadline. If he has a good year and plays 65-plus games, those red flags will diminish. Also, any team trying to trade for Morant would have to match his salary in a deal, and that figures to be too difficult to pull off in February. Check back in June. Blazers Backcourt an NBA Trade Rumor Gold MineRegardless, there is a sense that something will have to give in the Blazers backcourt eventually, even with Shaedon Sharpe out until at least the All-Star break after knee surgery. Damian Lillard proclaimed that he and Morant will start in the backcourt, though coach Micah Nori pushed back on that, already stirring a bit of Blazers drama.Portland has Jrue Holiday, and though there are no plans to move him just yet, he would fetch the best return. If Morant and Lillard hold up, health-wise, Holiday could be a top NBA trade rumor piece this winter, especially for contenders looking for an experienced piece to put them over the top. Holiday has championships with the Bucks and Celtics, and is considered one of the best teammates in the league.There’s also Scoot Henderson, who has been up-and-down in his brief NBA career, and is due a contract extension by October 19–though he is not expected to sign one.Rival executives are monitoring Ja Morant fit on the Trail Blazers with there being a potential play of Portland rehabbing his trade value and then offloading him, per @JakeLFischer (Via @BleacherReport) https://t.co/ATxy66j2iapic.twitter.com/C1sbx7Nhql— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) October 6, 2026Kevin Durant’s MarketKevin Durant of the Rockets has been mentioned as a trade candidate, but Houston will want to see how things shape up with point guard Fred VanVleet coming back before any decision like that is made. And it might not be the Rockets’ decision to make–though Durant is still a top-level scorer in the NBA, teams are wary of trading for him because of his recent history of being a leader on teams that had clear chemistry problems, going back to the end of his tenure with the Warriors, through the Nets and Suns failures and now into last year’s Ro