Jeff Teague thinks an NBA superstar could be traded from a Western Conference team.
Before the summer, Shams Charania said this could be the craziest offseason in NBA history. It wasn’t. Beyond Kevin Durant’s trade to the Houston Rockets, there has been no significant star movement in the league.
Rumours of Giannis Antetokounmpo leaving the Milwaukee Bucks and LeBron James leaving the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t come to fruition, and teams have avoided making large free agent commitments due to salary cap concerns.
Former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague said that a superstar could soon be on the move after this season.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesJeff Teague thinks Ja Morant could be traded from the Memphis Grizzlies
Teague thinks it’s a possibility that the Memphis Grizzlies trade away superstar point guard Ja Morant if they have another bad season.
Speaking on the Club 520 Podcast, he said, “If the Grizzlies have a bad year, are they gonna move on from Ja? I’m not saying they can’t, it do be like, ‘Hey, do we go in a different direction?’”
Morant has been in the middle of controversy for the last few seasons. In 2023, he appeared in an Instagram Live video from a Colorado nightclub holding a firearm. The NBA suspended him for eight games for “conduct detrimental to the league.”
Two months later, Morant was seen flashing a gun again, this time during an Instagram Live through his friend’s account. The NBA responded with a 25-game suspension.
Those are two incidents in a long line of controversies. Last season, he stayed out of the headlines, although NBA fans questioned Morant’s judgment after a video emerged of him slipping during a dunk contest in Asia.
He will soon be available for an extension, and the Grizzlies will have to weigh his undeniable talent against his off-court drama, and the team’s on-court performances.
Memphis Grizzlies need a bounce-back year
Early in his career, Morant looked to be the next NBA superstar. He was the Rookie of the Year in 2020, and an All-Star in 2022 and 2023. He scored 27 points a night in 2022 and led Memphis to the two-seed in the West two seasons running.
Morant played nine games in 2023-24 after his 25-game suspension and a season-ending injury in December. He then played 50 games last season, leading the Grizzlies to the playoffs, but again suffered a season-ending injury in game three against the title-winning Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Grizzlies’ star is now injury-prone and controversial. He’s also one of the league’s best players when he can stay on the court. That leads Teague to believe that ultimately, he will remain in Memphis.
He said, “Ja Morant is Memphis.”