A lot has changed over the past few years in Memphis, from firing Taylor Jenkins and trading away Desmond Bane. It appears that parting ways with Ja Morant may be the next domino to fall. It has been a steady fall from grace for the two-time All-Star. Unfortunately for the front office and fans, the return may not be to their liking.
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If Morant were on the trade market four years ago, he would be the most prized possession in the league. Of course, back then the Grizzlies wouldn’t have even dared to think of letting go of the 6-foot-2 star. After all, Morant was averaging 27.4 points, 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds at only 22 years old.
Fast forward to today, Morant’s current production doesn’t even come close to an All-Star. He is currently averaging 19.0 points, 7.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds on 40% shooting from the field and 21% from three-point range.
Those are horrific shooting splits from a lead guard. Although Morant has never been a marksman from the perimeter, he has been a fairly decent shooter at the very least. This season, however, he has been a complete liability. Consequently, the Grizzlies have run out of patience. Unfortunately for them, this is a matter of sunken cost more than anything else.
“Just like the marketplace for Trae Young dried up to the point where you could acquire him for CJ McCollum and Cory Kispert, I don’t think the market for Ja Morant is anything beyond matching salary and maybe some filler,” NBA analyst Chris Mannix said on Open Floor.
Trae Young was the other star guard who had been in trade rumors alongside Morant. Earlier this week, the Atlanta Hawks decided to pull the trigger to end Young’s journey with them. However, their return package wasn’t filled with draft compensation and tremendous young players. The Hawks matched salaries and received an expiring contract.
If the Grizzlies were expecting a similar haul to the Bane trade, Mannix believes they’re gravely mistaken. Unfortunately, Morant doesn’t have that type of value across the league.
It doesn’t help that the star guard is on pace for his third consecutive year with fewer than 60 games played. Teams simply don’t want to invest too many assets into someone who struggles to be on the court.
