When at full strength, Memphis Grizzlies floor general Ja Morant is an elite player and one of the more must-see talents in the NBA. For his position, he plays above the rim on offense at a level that would make even Russell Westbrook blush, and on top of that, he has a knack for setting up his teammates for scores.
However, he simply hasn’t been able to stay on the court for any long period of time over the past season-plus. He appeared in just nine games in the 2023-24 campaign, and so far this season, he’s played in 32 of Memphis’ 54 contests.
Amid Morant’s injury woes, an NBA executive told The Ringer’s Howard Beck that they’re not ruling out the possibility that the point guard gets traded this summer.
“I’m constantly checking in with executives around trade deadline about like, okay, what we saw, what we didn’t see, what’s next, and in this league, you are always, always, always on the lookout for who’s the next wave of stars that are going to get dealt, right?” Beck said.
“And somebody out of the blue said, keep an eye on Ja this summer. I’m just saying it’s one of those things I’m just kind of keeping an eye on if they were to flame out early.”
For as injury-prone as Morant has been lately, the Grizzlies have clearly been a better team this season with him healthy and on the floor. Without Morant, Memphis has a record of just 14-8. With him, the Grizzlies are an impressive 22-10.
Morant is putting up All-Star caliber numbers for the Grizzlies in his sixth season with the team to boot. He’s averaging 20.7 points, 7.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game for a Memphis squad that owns the second-best record in the Western Conference at 36-18.
Plus, if the Grizzlies trade Morant in the offseason, they arguably don’t have a player who could step in and hold down the fort as the team’s starting point guard. Marcus Smart got traded to the Washington Wizards ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, and while Scotty Pippen Jr. has shown promise this season, he’s still a relatively inexperienced NBA player.
All in all, it would probably be in Memphis’ best interest both in the here and now as well as the future to not part ways with Morant this summer and hope that his injury luck will take a turn for the better in the near future. Hopefully, Grizzlies fans will get to see a healthy Morant for the entirety of the team’s stint in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, assuming the squad qualifies.
