Ja Morant’s downfall has been sad but inevitable, a result of his own actions. Despite it being public knowledge that he is now on the Memphis Grizzlies’ trade block, very few teams appear to be openly interested in him. The reason is Morant himself, and Charles Barkley has emphasized what the majority of the NBA community feels about the talented young guard.
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In a recent episode of The LeBatard Show, Barkley was asked about Morant once being the face of the league and now being part of the “discount bin.”
The Round Mound of Rebounds had no hesitation in declaring that this was Morant’s own doing. For years, he has flirted with indiscipline and repeatedly made the same mistakes, along with a mix of injuries that have only added to his predicament.
“He’s in the discount bin because of his own actions man,” Barkley said. “The reason Ja Morant is in the discount aisle, the same reason Trae Young was in a discount aisle — self inflicted wounds.”
This was a great example from Barkley, because like Morant, Trae Young was seen as the face of the Hawks for the longest time. Barkley mentioned how both the Hawks and the Grizzlies wanted to build their teams around their respective franchise superstars for a decade or more.
“Now, you gotta make business decisions,” the 76ers legend added. “These guys make so much money now, you can’t pay a guy $60-$70-$80 million and be mediocre. But all them wounds was self inflicted.”
Morant was seen as arguably one of the best players in the league back in 2022, when his electrifying dunks and athleticism made many confident that the Grizzlies were building a legitimate championship contender for years to come. Since then, however, injuries and incidents such as being spotted brandishing a firearm in public multiple times, have gotten in the way.
Even when Morant played, the Grizzlies didn’t look as good, and went from being a certified play-off side to one struggling to finish in the top 10. For Memphis to guarantee themselves a future where they could aim to compete, freeing up $40 million a year seemed necessary.
Morant himself was asked about his potential move away, and thankfully, he did not respond hostily toward the Grizzlies. “I’m sorry y’all wasn’t able to come to London, but I’m done with those questions,” he declared.
