One NBA scout expects the Memphis Grizzlies to trade Ja Morant.
The Grizzlies are off to a poor start this season. They are 5-11 and Morant was suspended one game for conduct detrimental to the team.
“I do think they’ll move him,” a West scout told NBA insider Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Morant has appeared in 12 games this season. He’s averaging 17.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game while shooting 35.9% from the field, 16.7% from beyond the arc and 94.2% from the free-throw line.
The two-time All-Star will miss the next two weeks with a right calf strain.
A Murray State product, Morant “hates” playing for Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo, sources told DallasHoopsJournal. Ja is not a fan of Iisalo’s strategy of playing lineups in short shifts and then mass substituting, sources said. It has prevented Morant from getting his legs underneath him and developing a rhythm on the court.
Morant doesn’t have a good relationship with Iisalo, sources said. The Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins last season and named Iisalo the head coach.
Morant will make $39.4 million this season, $42.2 million in the 2026-27 season and $44.9 million in the 2027-28 season, which is the final year of his contract.
The 2019-20 Rookie of the Year, Morant has only led the Grizzlies to the second round of the playoffs once.
Morant, 26, has career averages of 22.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game in the NBA. He was the second overall pick in the 2019 draft.
One of the most athletic players in the NBA, Morant and his camp, at this juncture, haven’t thought about requesting a trade, sources said. The point guard said a couple of weeks ago that he’s not playing with any “joy.”
Morant doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract.
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