Ja Morant IMAGN 03302026
Grizzlies’ future hinges on $87 million Ja Morant question originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
When the Memphis Grizzlies dealt Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz last month, the franchise’s message was clear: Memphis was planning to retool around young players in Cedric Coward and Zach Edey.
Advertisement
But the Grizzlies’ inability to find a new home for Ja Morant means Memphis has to answer a major question about the two-time All-Star guard in the offseason. Does Morant fit the Grizzlies’ new timeline?
The Grizzlies are armed with draft capital — Memphis has three draft picks in the top 31 this year. But Morant, a vestige of a past era, continues to linger.
MORE:Â Ja Morant won’t play for Grizzlies this season, or perhaps ever again
Morant has been ruled out for the rest of the 2025-26 season with an elbow ligament sprain. He played only 20 games this year and was limited to a mere 79 games over the past three seasons. Morant’s offensive production continues to decline; the 26-year-old averaged 19.5 points on 41.0 percent shooting this season, and he shot a career-worst 23.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Advertisement
It’s why, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Morant question hangs over the Grizzlies’ summer.
“After Memphis traded 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah on Feb. 3, Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman said the team is pivoting toward getting younger,” writes Marks. “How the two years and $87 million remaining on Morant’s contract fit into that pivot remains unanswered.”
Memphis last won a playoff series in 2022, when the franchise’s future seemed as bright as any in the NBA. Four years later, general manager Zach Kleiman will have a big challenge in canvassing interest for an injury-prone guard with two years and $87 million remaining on his albatross contract.
More NBA news: