Ja Morant had been the apple of the Memphis Grizzlies’ eyes for years, but that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore. For the first time, the Grizzlies are reportedly entertaining offers for Morant, opening the door to a parting of ways with the man who has been the face of the franchise for so long. This development has led to the two-time All-Star being the biggest talking point in the basketball world, and he has now put out an interesting message on X.
“when dat smoke clear over only ones who love you gon be round.”
A couple of days before this, Morant had also reposted comedian Lil Duval’s message on the platform.
“Don’t expect loyalty from someone in survival mode.”
Think it is safe to say Morant isn’t a happy camper at the moment. To go with all this trade talk, he has seen some shots being fired at him, too. An NBA executive told ESPN that Morant presents the unwanted combination of pain in the a**, injury-prone, not that good anymore, and big contract.
Unfortunately for Morant, that isn’t complete nonsense. He was suspended twice by the NBA in 2023 for waving a gun on Instagram Live on two separate occasions. Morant was also slapped with a one-game suspension by the Grizzlies earlier this season for firing shots at the coaching staff. He definitely isn’t a model citizen.
Morant is no longer performing like one of the best point guards in the NBA, either. The 26-year-old is averaging 19.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2025-26. He has been inefficient too, shooting 40.1% from the field and 20.8% from beyond the arc.
It’s often said that the best ability is availability, and Morant has missed a lot of time this season as well. He has played in just 18 out of the Grizzlies’ 39 games. He played only 50 last season, and it doesn’t look like the injury bug is going to stay away.
To go with all this, Morant is currently in the third year of a massive five-year, $197 million deal. The combination of some of these factors, along with the realization that they can’t compete with the best teams in the West with him, is why the Grizzlies are willing to listen to offers. Morant just isn’t a sought-after commodity on the trade market for these reasons, though.
NBA insider Tim MacMahon reported that the return for Morant might be even worse than what the Atlanta Hawks got for Trae Young. The Washington Wizards only had to give up CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to acquire the four-time All-Star.
MacMahon also indicated that even if the Grizzlies don’t like the offers coming their way, they might end up accepting one before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
“Here’s the thing though. The Grizzlies have to trade Ja. You can’t have the toothpaste out of the tube and then have to deal with the situation. He cannot be on the roster after February 6th. It will be an absolute mess. He’s already had a very loud, ugly confrontation with their rookie coach.”
“Everybody in that arena, much less the locker room, knows they want to get rid of him, and the feeling is mutual. It’s reached a point where Ja Morant’s career cannot continue in Memphis.”
This would be a sad end. The Morant era had promised much, but the Grizzlies only have one playoff series win to show for it. A rebuild looks set to be on the cards. This 2025-26 season is going nowhere, even if he ends up staying, as they are 10th in the West with a 17-22 record.
