Nobody expected Ja Morant to return to the court this season, but now it is official.
Morant is out with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left elbow and will now receive a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection to help speed the healing process, the team announced. That will sideline him for the rest of the season.
Morant will have played in 20 games this season.
The Grizzlies explored the trade market for Morant at the deadline but didn’t find a deal to their liking. He is expected to be back on the trade market and likely to be moved this offseason.
Also in that release, the team says centers Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke will be out for the remainder of the season as well. Edey hasn’t played since December following ankle surgery (which was expected to keep him out the rest of the season), but now he has undergone a procedure to alleviate lingering discomfort in his left elbow. Clarke has only played in two games this season, missing the start of it recovering from knee surgery, then returning for two games before straining his calf. That calf injury continues to keep him out.
Memphis, 24-27, is headed to the lottery and currently has the seventh-worst record in the league. That would give them a 31.9% chance of landing a top-four pick in the draft and guarantees them a top-10 spot.
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