On Monday, Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant returned from a one-game suspension for "conduct detrimental to the team." The suspension came after a Friday night loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in which he appeared (quite) disengaged on the court and reportedly had a confrontation of some kind with Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo. Morant told assembled media to "go ask the coaching staff" when prompted about the way he played in the game and, overall, the vibe seems to be less than stellar surrounding the former All-Star.
As such, speculation has begun about Morant's immediate and long-term future in Memphis, including potential landing spots for the 26-year-old if things turn more sour. While that buzz is logical given the state of affairs, it is also worth noting — and potentially emphasizing — that Morant's trade market does not project to be overly robust at this stage. There are several reasons for that, but they can be roughly broken down into three categories.
Ja Morant doesn't play very often
Morant's popularity and effectiveness both stem from the reality that he traditionally plays a high-intensity style. When he arrived in the league, Morant was immediately one of the more explosive athletes in the sport, and he earned the reputation as a player who would attack with vigor, even if it put his body in harm's way. That style perhaps contributes to the reality that Morant has never played more than 67 games in a season and, lately, he simply has not been able to stay on the court for varying reasons.
When Morant's one-game suspension came down, he had actually played in the first six games of the 2025-26 season for the Grizzlies. That may not seem like much, but Morant has not played in seven consecutive games since the 2022-23 season. That seems impossible, but it is also reality.
Granted, some of that can be traced to his off-court drama (see below), but Morant's lack of availability does make it a challenge from a team-building perspective. The Grizzlies have been fervently committed to him for obvious reasons, but can a new team pay a premium in trade knowing that they can't reasonably expect Morant to be on the floor a lot? It's a factor.
Ja Morant isn't quite the same player when he does play
To be abundantly clear, Ja Morant remains good at basketball. Even with his production down over the last two seasons, he has averaged 22.8 points and 7.3 assists over 57 games, and his more advanced metrics are relatively strong. At the same time, Morant isn't quite as athletically explosive as he once was. That might seem strange for a 26-year-old, but his archetype of highly athletic lead guard often peaks early from a physical standpoint, and Morant's lack of shooting does make things challenging from a fit standpoint.
Morant is a career 31.2 percent 3-point shooter and, over the last three-plus seasons, that figure drips to 29.6 percent. While that element isn't everything, a natural aging curve for Morant could make it harder and harder for him to attack without defenses reacting to the threat of a perimeter shot. Beyond that, Morant has never been a top-tier defender, and at this juncture, he projects more as a fringe All-Star contributor than as a potential All-NBA threat. That is a meaningful difference, especially at the price point.
While Morant is still a very good player when available, he is paid like a top-tier star, which is also a consideration. Morant is under contract for more than $39 million this season and is in the third year of a five-year, $197.2 million contract that does not feature any options. As such, any team trading for Morant would be on the hook for more than $87 million, at more than 25 percent of the projected salary cap, after this season.
The off-court drama matters
Unfortunately, the one-game suspension referenced above is not exactly an outlier for Morant. Morant was suspended on two different occasions in 2023 for gun-related incidents, and his bans totaled 33 games. While those suspensions are deep in the rearview mirror at this point, it is certainly possible, if not likely, that some teams could shy away from Morant when taking his off-court history into consideration.
Of course, that does not mean that Morant will be suspended again in the future or that he's not capable of figuring it out, but when weighing the risk compared to his salary commitment and on-court impact, it wouldn't be a shock to have some teams cross him off their lists.
So, what now?
The Grizzlies are heavily committed to Ja Morant, and so is the city of Memphis. It would probably have to get bad for a trade to materialize, but the rumblings of this latest dust-up with the coaching staff are present and casting a shadow. In the end, Morant's (relative) lack of trade value could actually push the team and player closer together, recognizing that everyone involved would be better off if Morant simply figures it out in Memphis. Still, it is hard to ignore the signs, and things could be challenging for the Grizzlies if they look to move him and realize that the king's ransom simply may not be available.