Ja Morant still plays for the Memphis Grizzlies — but perhaps for not much longer.
A day after their 132-101 loss in their season finale against the Rockets, the Grizzlies held exit interviews on Monday.
But Morant was nowhere to be found.
As the Commercial Appeal’s Damichael Cole reported, Morant, Brandon Clarke and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were all absent from the sessions following Memphis’ 25-57 finish to the season.
General manager and executive vice president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman had a cryptic answer when asked about the two-time All-Star guard, whom the team flirted with trading away this winter.
“I think everyone is on the same page as much as they can be,” he said. “I’m not going to speculate on potential transactions.”
As ESPN’s Shams Charania reported in February, the Grizzlies — for the first time — were entertaining trade offers for the mercurial star, who has struggled with injuries and suspensions in recent years.
The Grizzlies and Morant, Kleiman said on Monday, have had “open, honest and respectful communication”, while the executive also said that Morant has acted like a “pro.”
The oft-injured 26-year-old has played just 79 games over the past three seasons, including 20 this year, as he was shut down in March following a torn UCL.
He was also seen brandishing a gun on two separate occasions in 2023, leading to 33 games in total suspension time.
After signing a five-year, $197million rookie extension with the team, Morant is under contract in Memphis through the 2027-28 season.
Nonetheless, the team is in rebuild mode after trading Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Jazz and finishing this season with the sixth-best lottery odds.
The Grizzlies will find out their lottery fate on May 10.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
