Nobody would’ve guessed that four years after Ja Morant earned All-NBA Second Team honors, the Memphis Grizzlies would be shopping him. The electric 6-foot-2 point guard developed into the face of the franchise. However, the NBA can change awfully quickly. Morant has looked like a shell of himself this season. Following a few disagreements with the coaching staff, along with Morant’s past, NBA analyst Tim MacMahon doesn’t see how this partnership can continue any further.
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At one point in time, Morant was one of the most beloved athletes in Grizzlies history. He embodied exactly what it meant to be from Memphis. As a result, the fans took him in as one of their own. Unfortunately, the NBA is a ‘What have you done for me lately?’ league. The harsh reality is that Morant hasn’t done much.
The two-time All-Star has failed to play more than 60 games for the past two seasons. He is currently on pace to make this his third consecutive year failing to reach that mark. It doesn’t help that he is having the worst statistical season since elevating to an All-Star.
Morant is currently averaging 19.0 points, 7.6 assists and 3.6 turnovers per game on an abysmal 40.1% shooting from the field and 20.8% shooting from three-point range. A large reason for his steady decline has been due to his role within head coach Tuomas Iisalo’s new offense.
Unlike Taylor Jenkins’ offensive game plan, which highlighted Morant’s skill, Iisalo’s philosophy focuses on more team play. Morant has already vocalized his frustrations with his role, which has created tension between him and the coaching staff. That isn’t a great development for a team that does have playoff aspirations.
That is how we have gotten to where we are with the Grizzlies making Morant available to trade. ESPN analyst Tim MacMahon believes the time to part ways would be better sooner rather than later.
“Ja Morant has already had a very loud, ugly confrontation with their rookie coach,” MacMahon said on the Hoop Collective. “Everybody in that arena, much less the locker room, knows they want to get rid of him. And the feeling is mutual. It’s reached a point where Ja Morant’s career cannot continue in Memphis.”
That might not be exactly what Grizzlies fans want to hear, considering Morant is the face of the franchise. However, sometimes the truth hurts. MacMahon also broke down the reality of what a return package would look like for Morant at this stage of his career.
“Shams reported that the Grizzlies are looking for young players and multiple picks for Ja. Good luck with that. Because the feedback that we got on Ja wasn’t any more favorable than the feedback that we got on Trae. As a matter of fact, in some cases, it was even worse,” MacMahon proclaimed.
“Shams reported that Memphis is looking for young players & multiple picks for Ja. Good luck with that. Because the feedback that we got on Ja wasn’t any move favorable than the feedback that we got on Trae. As a matter of fact, in some cases, it was even worse.” @BannedMacMahon pic.twitter.com/DOQh9K8Fjt
— Dru (@dru_star) January 12, 2026
As we all know, the Atlanta Hawks didn’t receive any young talent or draft capital for Trae Young. Instead, the return package consisted of CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, two players who helped match the salary, along with McCollum’s expiring contract. That package may have been foreshadowing for the Grizzlies for a potential return for Morant.
Who would’ve thought that Desmond Bane would fetch more draft capital than Morant? However, that’s just how much the trade market fluctuates. A few weeks remain until the trade deadline, which will solidify Morant’s fate with the Grizzlies for this season.
