After being swept out of the NBA playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies have reached the end of yet another disappointing season. This time, after some less-than-inspiring play from Ja Morant, rumors have it that the Grizzlies could end up moving on from him altogether after the recent series of events that ended their 2024-25 campaign.
“Zach Kleiman remains fully committed to Ja Morant, and I don’t know anything that tells me the commitment is not mutual, but there’s a lot of ‘whispering and rumbling’ around the league regarding Morant potentially being available on the trade market,” said Tim MacMahon on the Hoop Collective. “He misses a ton of games, and he tends to get hurt a lot. When I’m talking to people around the league, GMs, execs, scouts, I don’t have people telling me they think he’s a top 10 player when he’s healthy this year.”
Compared to his last All-Star season (2022-23, when the Grizzlies won 51 games), Ja’s stats dipped across the board in the 2024-25 campaign. In 50 games, he averaged 23.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists on 45.4% shooting, but the Grizzlies needed more.
Despite a star-studded core that has been together for years, the Grizzlies have very little to show for their recent playoff efforts, and the situation is being described as dire for the organization after failing to win a game in the first round.
“They fired their coach with nine games left in the regular season, they had one win against any team with a winning record after January,” said MacMahon. “They beat the Pistons in April; other than that, they were o-fer against teams with a winning record. This core that everybody was so excited about, they’ve won a playoff series in their five years together. One. They’re not close; they’ve got to figure things out.”
The Grizzlies’ best year was in 2022 when they won 56 games as the second seed in the West. Ja was on fire, and the Grizzlies were still young and fresh on the scene as a title contender. They ended up losing in the second round that year, and that’s the furthest they’ve ever gone with this current core.
With the offseason officially underway, at least now the Grizzlies can put this season in the past and move on to build toward the future. The Grizzlies will try to keep Morant for now, but they might consider a deal if the right offer is made.
In the current market, teams like the Rockets and Magic would make an ideal fit for Ja, but the best thing for his career may just be a fresh start. After a series of scandals ruined his reputation and good standing with the NBA community, Morant has to work his way back to stardom, and the road to redemption is long.
At this point, only team success can change Morant’s current trajectory, but it won’t be happening this season. At best, Ja will have to wait until July to see some major changes, and there’s no guarantee that he won’t be included with the ones on their way out.
