Source: Jason Miller / Getty
The Memphis Grizzlies are firmly sitting at 9th place in the Western Conference, and Ja Morant can’t seem to perform as he has in recent years.
He’s only averaging 17.9 points per game, and he’s already got his first controversy of the season under his belt after telling the media about a disagreement he’s had with the coaching staff.
If the Grizzlies are looking to turn their season around, dealing Morant wouldn’t be entirely out of the question. But finding another franchise willing to take on that potential stress —between injuries and behavior-based suspensions— wouldn’t be an easy feat.
So ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Tim McMahon decided to put their heads together to figure out what could be next for the 26-year-old, and unsurprisingly, the market is bleak, and his massive five-year, $197 million contract isn’t helping.
“The combination of pain in the ass, injury-prone, not that good anymore, and big contract is a bad one,” said an East executive who wouldn’t want Morant on his team, no matter the salary.
ESPN adds that execs around the league are comparing him to the likes of Derrick Rose and John Wall, who both were “smaller guards who relied heavily on spectacular athleticism that was sapped by injuries, shortening their stints as superstars.”
“Ja has been going down, down, down,” one general manager in the Western Conference said. “I don’t know how much of that is due to motivation. You’ve got to be able to look under the hood. I’m just not sure about his health.”
Even Morant’s peers have critiqued his play this year, like Blake Griffin, who called him out for a lack of effort, and Klay Thompson, who got into a spat with him after a game.
“It was really just running his mouth, and he’s been running his mouth for a long time,” Thompson said at the time. “It’s funny to run your mouth when you’re on the bench. It’s kind of the story of his career so far, just leaving us wanting more.”
Social media always has strong feelings about Morant’s latest moves. See the reactions below.
