Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is one of the NBA’s most electrifying athletes. He is a blur with the ball. As he rises, there is no telling how he will score, only that it requires a great deal of contortion.
There is no telling how he will land, either. He has missed 177 games in his seven-year career and played more than 63 games in a season just once, his rookie year, when he missed a handful of games to injury. He has missed time in three of his four playoff appearances, all but one of which ended in the first round.
Advertisement
Morant has also been banned from the team on multiple occasions. He was twice suspended during the 2023-24 campaign for flashing guns on Instagram live videos, and he just served a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team after allegedly challenging his coaches both publicly and privately.
When first-year Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo challenged Morant’s “leadership and effort” following Friday’s 117-112 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, he reportedly “responded in a tone deemed inappropriate and dismissive.” The two-time All-Star told reporters, “According to [the coaching staff], probably don’t play me, honestly. That’s basically what the message was. It’s cool.” He served his suspension on Sunday.
All of which is to say: The Grizzlies face a considerable conundrum. On one hand, Morant is a franchise cornerstone, one of the few potential faces of the league, and he has won 60% of his games, so long as Jaren Jackson Jr. is at his side. On the other, how do you trust him to fulfill his commitment to the team?
Advertisement
Do not be surprised, then, to hear Morant’s name mentioned in trade rumors. Surely, the Grizzlies would entertain serious offers, if only to avoid more headaches, but how will the rest of the NBA respond to his availability? Every other team knows the injury and attitude issues that have led to his undependability.
[Get more Grizzlies news: Memphis team feed]
At the same time, every other team knows Morant’s contract situation. He is owed $42 million next season and $45 million for the 2027-28 campaign — about 25% of the salary cap going forward, or a fairly affordable figure. He is eligible for a massive contract extension at season’s end, when it is unclear if the Grizzlies will offer him one, and has been since June, per Substack insider Marc Stein. Sharks will circle.
Which team would be willing to take the risk? The NBA’s six biggest title favorites, according to BetMGM — the Thunder, Nuggets, Cavaliers, Knicks, Warriors and Lakers — are all solidified at point guard. Still …
Advertisement
“Many would be interested,” a league source said.
And that is sure to be true, especially if Morant asks out. That would only increase the fervor around teams trying to score an All-NBA-caliber talent (he made the second team in 2022) for a discount price.
How many teams come calling could dictate the likelihood that we see Morant moved. After all, the Grizzlies just scored Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the rights to four first-round draft picks for Desmond Bane. Imagine what kind of market they could drum up for the 26-year-old Morant if they seriously consider trading him.
The Rockets and Timberwolves, the next two teams on BetMGM‘s list of championship favorites, are both in need of a point guard. Think, say, the Suns wouldn’t want to pair Morant with Devin Booker to forge one of the league’s most formidable backcourts? Might the Brooklyn Nets want their first building block for the next iteration of their super-team strategy? Countless teams find themselves in similar situations.
Advertisement
So, the interest would be widespread, if the Grizzlies decide that, while Morant may still be an All-NBA talent, he might not be one again for Memphis. And the more we see dust-ups between Morant and his coach, the more likely it is that one of them could go this season, and this time it may not be the coach.