It’s crystal clear that Ja Morant, the once polarizing poster boy, won’t be staying in Memphis for long, with the 2-time All-Star quietly quitting on his team while trying to pull off another Jimmy Butler-esque drama with the Grizzlies. Rightfully so, nobody is happy with how he’s handling his bitter situation with the organization that once had faith in him.
No More Joy in Grizz Town
There’s obviously tension growing between Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. The former Rookie of the Year has been publicly implying about his distaste towards his team and the coaching staff, especially head coach Tuomas Iisalo, but what feels like the “nail in the coffin”, was when Morant bluntly confirmed in a post-game interview that he has “no joy” in playing basketball with the Grizzlies anymore—and we already know where this drama is headed.
In 12 games, Morant is only averaging 17.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 7.6 assists while shooting an abysmal 16.7% from the three-point line. The 2025-2026 campaign ought to be his redemption year after a series of controversies, suspension, and injuries that only allowed him to play 59 games in the past two seasons. However, it seems he’s not interested in it anymore.
Jimmy Butler did the exact same thing with the Miami Heat before finding his “joy” back with the Golden State Warriors. Meanwhile, Ben Simmons and James Harden also had their way against the Philadelphia 76ers when things slowly went sour. The point is, this is not new. Sadly, once a star player, like Morant, casually hints about wanting out, more times than not, they mean it.
Ja Morant for Trae Young?
Despite the dilemma the organization and the fans are facing, Memphis could still find a way to at least trade him while his stock is still high enough to get some draft picks in return to start rebuilding. Some trade ideas include a straight-up swap for Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks), a package including Tyler Herro (Miami Heat), or a trade that would send Morant to the struggling Toronto Raptors in exchange for Immanuel Quickley or Brandon Ingram and some future picks.
Overall, this may just be the end of an era in Memphis, a narrative where, in the next few months, Ja Morant and the Grizzlies will finally part ways for the better.
