Marc Stein provides some clarity on the Ja situation
January 20, 2026
Marc Stein provides some clarity on the Ja situation
29 comments
Fuck please stay and fuck please vibes come back.
I think there’s a world where Ja stays but his attitude must mature. He isn’t consistently good enough to get the infallible superstar treatment, and he has to be able to recognize that.
Is this new reporting? Or is he just referencing the press conference quote?
I think they need to come to some kind of agreement and meet in the middle. Ja is at his best when hes happy and having fun. When he’s at his best he can be one of the best players in the NBA. If Isalo needs control and Ja needs control, thats an issue but Isalo, I think, needs to take a page out of Phil Jacksons book and approach his players with love and respect. The ones that need to be themselves to play well, like Ja, need to be given the rope to do that.
Hell yeah. Kleiman can either trade Ja for peanuts and piss off all the fans or keep Ja and deal with the inevitably messiness that comes with Iisalo and Ja having vastly different approaches to play style. Love me a lose-lose scenario!
That London game made me feel warm and gooey on the inside BUT I’ve already sold myself on the possibility of Kingston flemings 😢
I m not shocked at either of these tidbits.
I was looking through the Atlanta Hawks sub and there’s an interview with their CEO, Steve Koonin, and he was asked about the little return Trae Young got and he said there’s not a huge market for the Trae Young’s or Ja Morant’s of the world. NBA teams want size in the back court.
I will see if I can find it but it’s a little bit of an outside view that came weeks ago and It appears that he is right.
Here’s the interview and comment with a short summary.
Man it really feels like if Ja just follows the system Iisalo is throwing down he would end up probably getting more points. He was a superstar in ‘22 but even then, it felt like he could pass more and we would have been a better unit. Hopefully he stays and buys in
Memphis loves you Ja. Fuck these beat reporters trying to stir controversy
Out of all the speculation about the situation, this is probably closest to reality.
Ja would like to stay and get an extension, FO cant justify it unless he stays healthy and produces. Which he just hasnt been able to do. Argument with Iisalo made the relationship more tense.
Really curious to how this plays out, but my gut says this might bleed into the offseason rather than trade deadline.
I dont see a world where we get a good trade return for him
might as well keep him happy and let him throw some grenades
All he has to do is play (often & well) and im sure itd be a helluva lot easier to “have some say”
I truly believe Ja understood his part in the whole problem and I think hes grown from it. Hes def been saying the right things lately
“used too”
Play regularly and play hard and you can have your say again
If Ja had made just 19 extra shots in the 19 games he’s played (12 extra shots inside the arc and 7 extra 3PT shots) so far this year, his shooting percentages would be completely “normal” by his standards (.469 FG%, .321 3PT%, matching his career percentages prior to this year), and he’d be scoring an extra 2.37ppg, and a large element of doubt would be removed here.
Basically, if he had hadn’t had the 10 game outside shooting slump (all on long 2s and 3s – his shooting percentages closer to the basket have interestingly and notably never dropped) to start the season, we’d all feel a lot better about the on-court stuff right now.
It’s small-ish margins in the grand scheme of things, and I think he can comfortably claw it back over time if he continues to play this season.
Good, I’m glad ZK backed Isalo in this situation. That was unacceptable and he needs to know he can’t do that going forward.
I don’t think they will be able to make a trade by the deadline. Literally 6 months ago, Memphis would’ve been able to get 3+ first rounders atleast for Ja. Trading him at his absolute lowest would be insanity. Hope they wait it out and come to a resolution this summer
Here’s a real possibility I see. The guy comes back and balls out, we get Edey and we are hot going into playoffs…. Then the offseason comes and he’s traded anyways after all that
The fact that this is news to people genuinely surprises me. Ja has never said anything about wanting out
I don’t want him to leave so bad, but like the article said, the franchise simply cannot revolve around him to the extent it has anymore.
If he can get healthy and stay healthy the conversation could change but as of now he is a big worry.
his low current trade value might end up being being a blessing and wake up call for all involved.
This provided me with zero additional clarity
Dude all we want is for him to PLAY BASKETBALL. I’ve seen Ja Morant in a hoodie more times than I’ve seen him in a Grizzlies jersey..
Offseason, they’re gonna tell him they drafted him to be a leader. Injuries happen, but it’s what you do on the bench and locker room that shows. Either shape up and get the money you deserve, or we can trade you.
Like he said: he wants to be here. It’s on his back. But it’s time to show the league who you are. Who we are. Anyone remember the same shit went down with z-bo. No one wanted him. He was a problem in Portland. Hell, didn’t they call the blazers the potland blazers at a time or something? That’s not the issue. What Memphis does is we draft and trade those who people didn’t want. Look at his draft press conference- he was number 2 and only people there were *local*. We fuck with you if you fuck with us. He has our back. Time to have his, but also it’s time for ja to grow up. This league is his for the taking.
I think the Grizzlies putting Ja on the market is about resetting the power dynamic within the organization. The Grizzlies know they can’t get fair value for him. They won’t trade him. They need Ja to see/understand that there’s no demand for him due to his play/ injury history/ behavior. Ja is being humbled, and judging his most recent comments, it seems to be working.
Kerimian and isolo gotta go. Not ja !
I’m glad the FO stuck with the coach. Ja needs to figure out how to stay healthy and adapt his style to make the TEAM go. If he does those two simple things everyone wins.
Someone doesn’t know the difference between “too” and “to”. 🙄
29 comments
Fuck please stay and fuck please vibes come back.
I think there’s a world where Ja stays but his attitude must mature. He isn’t consistently good enough to get the infallible superstar treatment, and he has to be able to recognize that.
Is this new reporting? Or is he just referencing the press conference quote?
I think they need to come to some kind of agreement and meet in the middle. Ja is at his best when hes happy and having fun. When he’s at his best he can be one of the best players in the NBA. If Isalo needs control and Ja needs control, thats an issue but Isalo, I think, needs to take a page out of Phil Jacksons book and approach his players with love and respect. The ones that need to be themselves to play well, like Ja, need to be given the rope to do that.
Hell yeah. Kleiman can either trade Ja for peanuts and piss off all the fans or keep Ja and deal with the inevitably messiness that comes with Iisalo and Ja having vastly different approaches to play style. Love me a lose-lose scenario!
That London game made me feel warm and gooey on the inside BUT I’ve already sold myself on the possibility of Kingston flemings 😢
I m not shocked at either of these tidbits.
I was looking through the Atlanta Hawks sub and there’s an interview with their CEO, Steve Koonin, and he was asked about the little return Trae Young got and he said there’s not a huge market for the Trae Young’s or Ja Morant’s of the world. NBA teams want size in the back court.
I will see if I can find it but it’s a little bit of an outside view that came weeks ago and It appears that he is right.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AtlantaHawks/s/Yw60Tmwud0
Here’s the interview and comment with a short summary.
Man it really feels like if Ja just follows the system Iisalo is throwing down he would end up probably getting more points. He was a superstar in ‘22 but even then, it felt like he could pass more and we would have been a better unit. Hopefully he stays and buys in
Memphis loves you Ja. Fuck these beat reporters trying to stir controversy
Out of all the speculation about the situation, this is probably closest to reality.
Ja would like to stay and get an extension, FO cant justify it unless he stays healthy and produces. Which he just hasnt been able to do. Argument with Iisalo made the relationship more tense.
Really curious to how this plays out, but my gut says this might bleed into the offseason rather than trade deadline.
I dont see a world where we get a good trade return for him
might as well keep him happy and let him throw some grenades
All he has to do is play (often & well) and im sure itd be a helluva lot easier to “have some say”
I truly believe Ja understood his part in the whole problem and I think hes grown from it. Hes def been saying the right things lately
“used too”
Play regularly and play hard and you can have your say again
If Ja had made just 19 extra shots in the 19 games he’s played (12 extra shots inside the arc and 7 extra 3PT shots) so far this year, his shooting percentages would be completely “normal” by his standards (.469 FG%, .321 3PT%, matching his career percentages prior to this year), and he’d be scoring an extra 2.37ppg, and a large element of doubt would be removed here.
Basically, if he had hadn’t had the 10 game outside shooting slump (all on long 2s and 3s – his shooting percentages closer to the basket have interestingly and notably never dropped) to start the season, we’d all feel a lot better about the on-court stuff right now.
It’s small-ish margins in the grand scheme of things, and I think he can comfortably claw it back over time if he continues to play this season.
Good, I’m glad ZK backed Isalo in this situation. That was unacceptable and he needs to know he can’t do that going forward.
I don’t think they will be able to make a trade by the deadline. Literally 6 months ago, Memphis would’ve been able to get 3+ first rounders atleast for Ja. Trading him at his absolute lowest would be insanity. Hope they wait it out and come to a resolution this summer
Here’s a real possibility I see. The guy comes back and balls out, we get Edey and we are hot going into playoffs…. Then the offseason comes and he’s traded anyways after all that
The fact that this is news to people genuinely surprises me. Ja has never said anything about wanting out
I don’t want him to leave so bad, but like the article said, the franchise simply cannot revolve around him to the extent it has anymore.
If he can get healthy and stay healthy the conversation could change but as of now he is a big worry.
his low current trade value might end up being being a blessing and wake up call for all involved.
This provided me with zero additional clarity
Dude all we want is for him to PLAY BASKETBALL. I’ve seen Ja Morant in a hoodie more times than I’ve seen him in a Grizzlies jersey..
Offseason, they’re gonna tell him they drafted him to be a leader. Injuries happen, but it’s what you do on the bench and locker room that shows. Either shape up and get the money you deserve, or we can trade you.
Like he said: he wants to be here. It’s on his back. But it’s time to show the league who you are. Who we are. Anyone remember the same shit went down with z-bo. No one wanted him. He was a problem in Portland. Hell, didn’t they call the blazers the potland blazers at a time or something? That’s not the issue. What Memphis does is we draft and trade those who people didn’t want. Look at his draft press conference- he was number 2 and only people there were *local*. We fuck with you if you fuck with us. He has our back. Time to have his, but also it’s time for ja to grow up. This league is his for the taking.
I think the Grizzlies putting Ja on the market is about resetting the power dynamic within the organization. The Grizzlies know they can’t get fair value for him. They won’t trade him. They need Ja to see/understand that there’s no demand for him due to his play/ injury history/ behavior. Ja is being humbled, and judging his most recent comments, it seems to be working.
Kerimian and isolo gotta go. Not ja !
I’m glad the FO stuck with the coach. Ja needs to figure out how to stay healthy and adapt his style to make the TEAM go. If he does those two simple things everyone wins.
Someone doesn’t know the difference between “too” and “to”. 🙄