Ja Morant recently said he doesn’t plan on leaving the Memphis Grizzlies anytime soon, and according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the team may be stuck with the mercurial guard due to his low value in today’s NBA trade market.
“Zach Kleiman is way too pragmatic to let one game change that much. Ja has made it very clear he does not want to get traded. He wants to stay. The reality is, I don’t think there is a huge market for him. I don’t think there’s a trade the Grizzlies could make to sell to their fans. He wants to stay, but he also wants to have more say like he used to… When Ja Morant clashed with the coach early in the season, the FO stood behind the coach in that scenario,” Stein explained on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
“I don’t think there’s a huge market for Ja—I think he wants to stay, but he wants to have more sway like he used to. The franchise doesn’t revolve around Ja anymore. The moves they’ve made have made that clear. They didn’t give him an extension,” he added.
Morant has seen his averages go down from the previous year. The Memphis Grizzlies floor general averages 19.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists on 40.7 percent shooting from the field across 19 regular season appearances, and his injury history and off-court issues in the past do not help his stock.
Memphis Grizzlies News: Ja Morant expected to play vs. Atlanta Hawks amid trade chatter
Ja Morant was not listed on the latest Memphis Grizzlies‘ injury report, so he’s likely to play against the Atlanta Hawks at home on Wednesday evening. The two-time NBA All-Star is coming off a double-double performance during their 126-109 win over the Orlando Magic in London last weekend, having notched 24 points and 13 assists.
“The energy was contagious,” head coach Tuomas Iisalo said of Morant’s outing. “He did a great job quarterbacking the team and setting up other guys for success early in the game, pushing the pace, sharing the ball. It then snowballed into a great team effort.
“It gives the group a ton of confidence to have him back… Ja has been one of those guys who has carried the energy (in practice) He’s been very good. I’m super happy to see him out there.”
