Ja Morant Is Ready for a Change
It seems many have believed for some time that Ja Morant needed a shift, and recent reports suggest that the Memphis Grizzlies player has reached the same conclusion himself.
Selected as the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by Memphis, Morant’s journey with the Grizzlies has been tumultuous over recent years. There have been significant off-court issues; notably, in 2023, he faced suspensions on two separate occasions for brandishing a firearm during an Instagram Live stream, just two months apart. Additionally, he was involved in a lawsuit related to an incident with a 17-year-old during a pickup game in 2022, where he admitted to throwing the first punch, claiming self-defense.
Moreover, Morant has dealt with a string of injuries, missing more than half of the regular-season games since the 2022-23 season. In fact, he only participated in 20 games during the 2025-26 season.
His overall experience with the franchise and the city seems to have turned sour over the past few years, and sources indicated that a breaking point may have been reached recently. Reportedly, Morant relayed to other NBA players and former coaches that he was done with Memphis. He’s under a substantial contract worth $197 million that extends through the 2027-28 season.
What could have pushed Morant to such a point? Interestingly, it’s worth noting that he was still recovering from a one-game suspension imposed in November. That was quite a while ago, yet here we are in April. The suspension stemmed from “conduct detrimental to the team” after a brief fallout with first-year head coach Tuomas Isalo, which followed a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Morant’s shooting performance may have been disappointing, but it appears that the real source of concern was more about the coach’s substitution strategy.
It certainly feels like both Morant and Memphis need to go their separate ways for a fresh start. The task ahead for the Grizzlies includes identifying teams that might be interested in a player with talent but a history of issues surrounding contracts and performance.
