“Looking Like a Prisoner of War”: Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce Believe It’s Time for Ja Morant to Move On From Grizzlies

Ja Morant has been making quite a few headlines in the NBA this past week, and it has nothing to do with his performance on the court. The Memphis Grizzlies currently sit 10th in the Western Conference with 4 wins and 6 losses. It’s not an ideal situation, and Morant made it worse by stepping in front of the media to call out the coaches.

“Go ask the coaching staff,” Morant said when asked what’s wrong with the team. He has even stated that he no longer feels any joy playing for the Grizzlies, the team that drafted him second overall in 2019. At this point, it seems almost inevitable that the Grizzlies and Morant are headed for a messy split.

Weighing in on the rather public situation, former NBA champion Kevin Garnett also suggested that the time has come for Morant to get some fresh air.

“You know what’s bad, P? The one thing we appreciate about basketball, it’s our love,” Garnett told his guest, Paul Pierce, adding, “So when you see us out there, no matter what went on in the day, when you see a guy on the court, just being out there free, that is the greatest feeling in the world and the greatest escape.”

But Garnett doesn’t see that joy with Morant. “When I am watching him,” he paused, only for Pierce to fill in with, “looking like a prisoner of war.”

“They got him standing in the corner, they got him sitting up there. He ain’t … I don’t know, man,” KG sighed. Both Pierce and Garnett were then reminded that since the 2022-23 season, Morant had played 126 games for the Grizzlies. That sounds good, right?

Well, he’s also missed 127 games, which provides a lot of weight to his “no joy” remark. Pierce reacted to this and said that he doesn’t like hearing a player openly admit apathy for the team he represents. The former NBA champion also noted that these were the same shoes he had walked in during his own playing career.

“I had that at one point… It was a moment, it was only like a week though, where I was like, ‘This ain’t fun no more.’ It’s not a good feeling bro,” Pierce confessed, adding that Morant needed to find his motivation back and something had to change for that to happen.

“I truly believe it’s time for them to part ways with each other. That marriage is over. It’s not going to work… I think if he goes somewhere else, it will bring the best out of him… It’s like fresh air, dog,” Pierce told Garnett.

The former Celtics star, after being prompted by KG, also suggested that Giannis Antetokounmpo could use Morant on the Milwaukee Bucks. Meanwhile, Garnett argued that the Grizzlies could just get rid of head coach Tuomas Iisalo, stressing that Morant is a generational talent.

Pierce, however, disagreed. He pointed out that the Grizzlies already fired their head coach, Taylor Jenkins, a few months ago … they can’t keep doing that. He then suggested the Chicago Bulls as a potential landing spot for Morant, explaining that they’re a young team that could use someone like him.

The other option he liked for Morant was the Minnesota Timberwolves. But since they couldn’t reach a consensus on who to trade for him, Garnett proposed Miami, citing the structure they could provide for a volatile player like Morant.