The Memphis Grizzlies suspended Ja Morant for one game following his remarks about the coaching staff, which were deemed detrimental to the team. Morant could be the first NBA star to get his name on the trade block this season after expressing his unhappiness with his current situation.
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus thought of trade ideas for Morant, who puts the blame on the coaching staff for how he’s playing in the first two weeks of the season. One of the Pincus’ suggestions was a straight swap between the Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks involving Trae Young.
Grizzlies receive: Trae Young
Hawks receive: Ja Morant and $6.6 million trade exception
Pincus explained that the Hawks being at an impasse regarding Young’s extension warrants a potential trade for Morant. On the Grizzlies’ side of things, they would need an assurance from Young that he’ll be there for the long term.
The deal won’t affect both teams financially since they would stay under the luxury tax. Another dent into this deal is Young’s knee injury, which is set to keep him out for at least four weeks, as reported by Shams Charania and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
Morant’s Trade Market Predicted to be Tough
If the Memphis Grizzlies want to part ways with Ja Morant or vice versa, it would be tough for the franchise in the current NBA market. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst discussed Morant’s situation on the latest episode of “The Hoop Collective” podcast.
“Bontemps, you say trade him, here’s the problem… I don’t think there’s much, you guys talk to people, I talk to people, do you find a lot of people that believe there’s gonna be some robust market if they do shop Ja Morant?” MacMahon said, via Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report.
“No, I don’t think there is one,” Bontemps responded.
Despite what his ESPN colleagues discussed on their podcast, Shams Charania reported on SportsCenter over the weekend that several NBA teams are going to monitor the situation between Morant and the Grizzlies.
At just 26 years old, Morant is entering his prime and remains one of the most exciting players to watch in the league. However, off-court trouble has derailed his stardom, starting with a couple of gun incidents over the past couple of years that led to two suspensions from the NBA.
Morant Confirms Unhappiness in Memphis
Speaking to reporters after Monday’s game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons, Ja Morant was asked about his relationship with coach Tuomas Iisalo and the franchise after returning from his one-game suspension.
According to Jason Jones of The Athletic, Morant simply said that he won’t be talking to them if things aren’t cool, though he confirmed his unhappiness with the situation by answering “no” when asked if he’s playing with joy on the court.
Morant played 35 minutes in Monday’s 114-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons at the FedEx Forum. It was the most minutes he has played in a game this season, finishing with 18 points, five rebounds and 10 assists. He struggled with his shot, going 5-for-16 from the field.
He also struggled with taking care of the ball, committing five turnovers. He was aggressive in attacking the rim and going to the three-throw line nine times. However, his effort wasn’t enough, as the Grizzlies dropped to 3-5 to start the 2025-26 NBA season.
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