Marc Stein: “What I think is really happening here, in the grand scheme — and I already mentioned Ja Morant in Memphis — is that Trae Young is now in a similar position. He’s out in Atlanta, and the Hawks have been winning some games without him. Remember, this summer the two sides could have engaged in contract extension talks, but they didn’t. The Hawks made it clear to Trae Young’s camp that they weren’t interested in an extension before the season. They wanted this season to play out. Around the league, these three guards — LaMelo Ball, Ja Morant, and Trae Young — are being grouped together in the eyes of a lot of executives. Maybe they aren’t available right now, as we speak but these are players teams are anticipating could be available between now and the trade deadline on February 5th. And again, all three of these guys have been All-Stars. YouTube | Nov. 24, 2025
“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. “We all want to see him out there and do his best, but he’s just been letting a lot of other stuff get in the way of that. We need that in the NBA. We need our best players to be out there, and when you’re a star, it comes with a great responsibility. I hate to see that go to waste.” ESPN | Nov. 23, 2025
After Morant and Thompson had their exchange, Morant walked over to Grizzlies guard Cam Spencer during the team broadcast’s postgame on-court interview and took a jab at Thompson, who had a season-high 22 points in the loss but missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 20.6 seconds remaining. “Tell him who the best shooter in the house was,” Morant said to Spencer. “It wasn’t bro from Golden State.” Thompson described Morant’s on-court comments as “nothing of intelligent depth,” and then alluded to the off-court issues, suspensions and injuries that have marred Morant’s career since he made consecutive All-Star appearances in 2022 and 2023. ESPN | Nov. 23, 2025
Hoop Central: Klay Thompson & Ja Morant exchanging words. ?? Twitter | Nov. 23, 2025
Klay Thompson is tired of hearing Ja Morant talk so much. Morant, who missed his third straight game because of a calf strain, verbally confronted Thompson after the final buzzer of the Memphis Grizzlies‘ 102-96 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night. Security staffers and coaches from both teams separated the players to prevent the situation from escalating, but the tension between them has been simmering since at least the 2022 playoffs, when Thompson helped Golden State eliminate the Grizzlies en route to earning his fourth NBA championship. “He’s a funny guy,” Thompson said. “He has a lot to say all the time, especially for a guy who rarely takes accountability.” ESPN | Nov. 23, 2025
Given Morant hasn’t improved as a shooter — he was an abysmal 10-for-60 from 3 before his latest calf injury — it’s easy to see why he’s not the same player who electrified the league and appeared to have Memphis on a championship-caliber trajectory a few short years ago. Sources expect Memphis to explore the trade market for Morant but, like Davis, believe it will be difficult to get value for him. ‘I do think they’ll move him,’ a West scout said. ESPN | Nov. 21, 2025
Memphis is not willing to consider Ja Morant trades unless it’s a no-brainer (which no one is calling with), according to sources. They want to make this work. Morant may have to force the issue if there is to be a trade. FanSided | Nov. 18, 2025
Zach Lowe: “I will say with Ja — teams that are watching him, and I talked to one of them over the weekend — they’re throwing his current level of play into the trash. They’re saying, ‘This looks to us like a guy who wants out.’ And they’re going to judge him more by his long-term track record — whatever that even is at this point, given his games played issues over the last few years — than by what they’re seeing right now.” “But, I mean… he’s averaging 18 a game, shooting 36% from the field, 17% from three, and just looks disengaged for half of every game on both ends of the floor.” YouTube | Nov. 18, 2025