An NBA insider offered up an interesting take this week on why Ja Morant is unlikely to be traded now, but some NBA general managers expected it to happen soon.
The Memphis Grizzlies are closing in on winning 50 or more games for the third time in the last four seasons. And will reach the postseason for the fourth time in the last five seasons. If not for a season-ending injury to Ja Morant in 2023-24, they likely would have been in the playoffs for five straight years. However, that was not good enough for the team’s management.
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In a stunning move, the Grizzlies dismissed head coach Taylor Jenkins after six seasons with the team. It was a decision that seemed to indicate the organization was fully invested in top star Ja Morant. His unhappiness with the new offense allegedly played a role in Jenkins’s departure.
Over the weekend, ESPN NBA insider Tim MacMahon added to that narrative. However, he also revealed an interesting nugget of information that some around the game though Morant would be the odd man out.
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“There has been noise about Ja being unhappy all season long,” he began by saying on “The Hoop Collective.” “There has been noise about could Memphis look to move Ja. More so, could Ja look to get out of Memphis? There’s been a lot of that. I was texting with a GM after this happened. And he said, ‘I would have told you I thought they were definitely going to [trade him].
“Ja was out on them. They won games without him. They have to be sustainable. This is a move that goes in the face of that.’ Bascially this is a, ‘Hey, Ja, you’re still our guy. Everything we do is going to be best for you. What optimizes you,'” he added. “They got away from that, and they are leaning back hard into that.”
MacMahon also suggested that could be a risk. He claimed Ja Morant in the half-court is a mediocre player in terms of efficiency. Going back to a style the two-time All-Star prefers would mean moving away from an offensive style that has been good for them this season.
The Grizzlies are second in the NBA in scoring at 122.2 points per game.
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