NBA Swing: Is this Ja Morant’s Last Season in Memphis?

Read Time:3 Minute, 16 Second

Following the blockbuster Luka Doncic trade in early February, the feeling around the basketball world is that nearly nobody in the league is safe from a trade, with only a few exceptions. With the shock of the trade, the belief is that another superstar guard could be on the move this summer.

On the latest episode of the Real Ones podcast, The Ringer’s Howard Beck reported executives naming Memphis Grizzlies superstar guard Ja Morant as a potential trade target this summer if the Grizzlies face an early playoff this postseason:

“We just saw the shock of all shocks, the Luka deal, we saw Jimmy Butler, there’s already whispers again about Giannis, and somebody out of the blue said ‘keep an eye on Ja this summer.’”

Beck would give his own take on Ja in Memphis:

“They’re just deep enough in the Ja Morant lifecycle. Also, the Ja, Bane Jaren Jackson Jr. grouping, they’re young enough, they should have plenty of runway, but again, in this league, you never have as much runway as you think you have. And obviously, Ja has had some issues. Everything’s been fine for a while here, not to overplay stuff from a year and a half, two years ago. At a certain point, teams will pivot.”

For Morant, the last couple of seasons have been all over the place. Following the Grizzlies 2021-22 season that saw the team go 56-26 and Ja finish top 10 in MVP voting, Morant would get in trouble several times during the 2022-23 season over having guns, resulting in 25 game suspension for the 2023-24 season. Morant would return in mid-December, only playing nine games before having season-ending shoulder surgery.

In the 2024-25 season, Morant has played 34 of the team’s 56 games averaging 20.5 PPG, 7.3 APG, and 4.1 RPG on shooting splits of 44.1% from the field and 30.7% from three, Morant has seen a dip in almost every statistic across the board. While his scoring has taken a small dip, Jaren Jackson Jr. has become the team’s leading scorer.

As of February 19th, the Grizzles sit at quiet 37-19, second in the Western Conference. Memphis currently sits 8.5 games behind the 45-10 Oklahoma City Thunder, tied with the 37-19 third-seed Denver Nuggets, and two games ahead of the 35-21 fourth-seed Houston Rockets. Even though the team is having a great season, that can always change in the playoffs. If Memphis were to face an early exit in the playoffs, the team could consider moving on from Morant.

When speaking to the Daily Memphian’s Drew Hill, Grizzlies General Manager Zach Kleiman has shut down rumors of a Ja trade, calling them nonsense:

“I can’t blame other ‘executives’ for fantasizing about us trading Ja. But it’s just that, fantasy. We are not trading Ja. Continue to underestimate Ja, this team, and this city, and we will let our performance on the floor speak for itself.”

Given his past and history of injuries (missing at least 15 games every season he’s played), parting ways could give Ja a fresh start while giving the Grizzlies a return that can help them retool around a young core including Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane.

If the Ja Morant era of Memphis Grizzlies basketball were to come to an end, it would be seen as a good era for the franchise. In Ja’s six seasons in the league, the Grizzlies have had four winning seasons (including the 2024-25 season so far) and have had three playoff appearances. For Ja, he’s won 2019-20 Rookie of the Year, won 2021-22 Most Improved, and has been a two-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA.