The Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant era may be nearing its end. Once hailed as the NBA’s next superstar, Morant’s career has hit several bumps over the past few seasons, largely due to multiple suspensions issued both by the league and the Grizzlies organization.
Most recently, Morant received a one-game ban from Memphis for “conduct detrimental to the team,” raising questions about whether it’s best for both sides to part ways. While the Grizzlies do not appear ready to make a definitive move yet, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania revealed that other teams are closely monitoring the situation, potentially ready to pursue Morant if tensions worsen.
“There’s been tension in the last several days around Ja Morant and his feelings toward first-year head coach Tuomas Iisalo’s rotation patterns and play calls,” Charania said on *SportsCenter*. “It really culminated after and during the loss to the Lakers on Friday night in the postgame locker room. Morant and Iisalo had an exchange where Iisalo publicly questioned Morant’s leadership and effort in front of the whole team. Morant responded in what the team considered an inappropriate and dismissive manner, according to sources.”
For now, Morant is expected to rejoin the team on Monday at home against the Detroit Pistons. Both sides aim to move past this incident and move forward. However, as Charania noted, teams across the league are watching closely to see how the relationship between Morant and the Grizzlies develops.
The question remains: can they truly move on? Given Morant’s turbulent past few seasons, that seems uncertain. During the 2022-23 season — his fourth year in the NBA and the first following a five-year, $197.2 million contract extension — Morant was involved in three gun-related incidents. The second incident led him to take a leave of absence and ultimately resulted in an eight-game suspension by the NBA.
Less than two months later, he faced suspension by the Grizzlies after flashing a gun on Instagram. The NBA then imposed a 25-game ban, which Morant served at the start of the 2023-24 season.
Although he avoided further suspensions until now, Morant has struggled with injuries over the last two seasons. He was also fined by the NBA for making a gun gesture toward Golden State Warriors’ Buddy Hield during a game in April, and drew criticism for his dismissive response to the backlash, saying, “I don’t care no more.”
Just two days before his reported clash with coach Iisalo and a poor 3-for-14 shooting performance against the Lakers, Morant delivered an impressive outing with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and the game-winning basket in a victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Following tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies are scheduled to host the Detroit Pistons tomorrow night, with Morant expected to be back on the court. The coming days will be critical in determining the future of Morant’s tenure with Memphis—and whether this storied chapter will continue or come to a close.
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/grizzlies-rumors-memphis-ready-trade-ja-morant-latest-suspension