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Memphis Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo had a blunt response to the report by Shams Charania on Ja Morant trade rumors amid his injury.
Just over three years after Ja Morant infamously stated he “fine in the West,” it appears the Memphis Grizzlies would now be fine without him.
Another year, another messy year for Morant, who has only played in 79 games in the last three seasons thanks to a mish-mash of suspensions and injuries.
Morant, 26, has been out of the Grizzlies lineup since Jan. 21. After battling with an elbow injury for some time this season, yesterday Morant was finally shut down for the season by the franchise. The team announced the former All-Star has an ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his left elbow.
With things seemingly only getting worse for Morant, serious questions about his future in Memphis have been brought up for multiple years now.
It just seems like a matter of time before the Morant-Grizzlies marriage heads for a long-overdue divorce.
Ja Morant’s Future in Memphis Very Much in Doubt
When fully healthy, Morant is still one of the NBA’s most exciting players. He hasn’t developed much of a jumpshot ever since entering the league, but fans haven’t been left disappointed thanks to his many volcanic dunks (and attempts) and high-flying game.
But a line ultimately needs to be drawn.
The Grizzlies haven’t been thought of as a serious Western Conference threat in multiple years. They have only gone past the first round once in Morant’s tenure.
After his latest injury, Morant is a risk worth taking beyond this season.
Damichael Cole, a Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal and voice of “Locked On Grizzlies,” expressed serious doubt about Morant’s future in Memphis.
“If you’ve been following the Ja Morant situation since January the ninth, as we’ve talked about every layer of his future with the Grizzlies and his present with this organization as well, there’s a big picture perspective here that we have to address here now given this context,” Cole said. “It’s simple. What does this mean for his future? … I’m really not certain that there’s a future with Ja and the Grizzlies.”
The franchise was reportedly open to hearing offers for the 26-year-old guard ahead of this year’s trade deadline. Ultimately, nothing manifested, but belief that Morant wouldn’t be a Grizzly beyond this summer remained high around the league.
Said Cole: “He wasn’t traded at the deadline, and one of things I remember saying at that point is kind of caution people to not take this as a sign as things blew over … it was more because of the market. There weren’t plausible offers out there that made sense for the Grizzlies.”
Morant’s Memphis Exit More Inevitable than Ever?
This season, Morant has appeared in only 20 games. In those tilts, the former Rookie of the Year averaged 19.5 points (third-lowest of his career), 3.3 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game on just 41% shooting from the floor and an unsightly 23.5% from the 3-point line.
Minus the assists, these are pedestrian numbers for a two-time All-Star and a player once believed to be the long-term solution for a struggling franchise.
Then considering all the chaos away from basketball Morant has encountered over his career, it becomes quite difficult to convince anyone he is the main piece to build a contender around.
There simply isn’t any legitimate reason to keep Morant any longer in Memphis. Both parties have seemingly reached an expiry date on their relationship. We’ve seen several examples of similar scenarios playing out in recent history.
It appears both Morant and Memphis could use a fresh start. But the bigger question remains how the Grizzlies will, if they decide to move on from Morant this summer, deal the star guard.
Morant still has two years remaining on his contract and is set to absorb over $40 million in both years.
Considering the baggage he brings in addition to the hefty price tag, it may take a lot of convincing for another team to give Morant a chance to prove himself again.
Morant won’t turn 27 until closer to the start of the 2026-27 season. He is ideally still early in his career timeline and should have a chance to rediscover his superstar potential playing for another franchise.
It remains to be seen what happens with Morant in the near future.