Star point guard Ja Morant’s days playing for the Memphis Grizzlies may be numbered if his situation with the team continues on a rocky trajectory. Amid a season that’s seen him average a career-low in minutes per game, Morant recently indicated that he’s not playing with his usual joy.
His comments are somewhat reminiscent of the ones star forward Jimmy Butler made before he was traded from the Miami Heat midway through the 2024-25 season. Butler was also suspended multiple times by the Heat before being traded, and last week, the Grizzlies suspended Morant for a game after a confrontation reportedly happened over his leadership and effort.
With Morant’s Grizzlies future becoming a topic of conversation, former NBA big man Kendrick Perkins said that the only option for the guard is to end up with the Heat and experience their vaunted culture.
Kendrick Perkins says MIA is the only solution for Ja Morant
“I do think it’s time for the Grizzlies and Ja to part ways. I do think it’s only one option for Ja Morant. He needs that Erik Spoelstra Pat Riley Miami Heat Culture”
(Via @RoadTrippinShow) pic.twitter.com/Gk63VGYZLM
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) November 5, 2025
A star of Morant’s caliber might be exactly what the Heat need to make that leap into bona fide contender status. Miami has gotten off to a strong start to this season even without star guard Tyler Herro in the lineup, as they have a 4-3 record and already picked up wins against the likes of the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers.
Herro should be healthy sooner rather than later, but for as great as he and star big man Bam Adebayo are, they have zero All-NBA selections between them while Morant has been a fringe MVP candidate at times. It’s hard to imagine that Morant wouldn’t massively raise Miami’s ceiling both now and in the years to come.
Morant’s peak season in the NBA to this point was arguably more impressive than any single season Herro or Adebayo has put together. Back in the 2021-22 season, he averaged 27.4 points, 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game for a Grizzlies team that won 56 games.
Hopefully, it will prove to be a matter of when rather than if Morant will be a member of the Heat. If the stars align and he does get moved to Miami, perhaps the squad will be one of the last teams in the Eastern Conference still standing in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.