With a mere 6.3% chance, the Memphis Grizzlies landed the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. It was a stroke of luck that they used to select Ja Morant, who was seen as less impactful than the number one pick Zion Williamson, but still a potential future NBA star.
Without hesitation, Memphis closed the book on the famous Grit'N'Grind era by sending Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz to make room for their future star.
With Jaren Jackson Jr, who had joined the year before, Memphis—whose best result was a conference finals loss to the Spurs in 2013—started to dream big.
The Warriors' dynasty seemed to be winding down, and there was a sense that a spot at the top of the West was up for grabs.
For three years, the Grizzlies believed it.
A meteoric rise
The first season was cut short by COVID, and the Grizzlies missed the playoffs, but Ja Morant still took home the Rookie of the Year award.
However, the real breakthrough came in his second year.
Memphis finished just eighth in the West, had to go through the play-in, where they faced none other than the Warriors for a playoff spot. No one expected Steph Curry and his crew to lose a do-or-die game to such an inexperienced team...but that’s exactly what happened.
The Grizzlies delivered a memorable performance, with Ja Morant leading the way, scoring 15 points between the fourth quarter and overtime—including the two baskets that sealed the win.
It was the birth of a superstar: 35 points in a decisive game.
The global media called him "special." Even though the playoff run ended in the first round, the hype was real.
The following season, the Grizzlies took another step forward, finishing second in the Western Conference and winning their first playoff series since 2015 against the Wolves.But the Warriors, with their experience, got their revenge and blocked Memphis from reaching the conference finals.
Still, Ja Morant was named Most Improved Player and made his first All-Star appearance.
In just three years, he had already made his mark, and no one could have predicted what was coming next.
Not so "Fine in the West"
Admittedly, during that 2021/2022 season, Ja Morant missed 25 games, mostly due to two thigh injuries. But it wasn’t a major concern, and even though he missed half the playoff series against the Warriors, it only helped explain the team’s defeat.
The next season started perfectly, highlighted by an 11-game winning streak in the heart of winter. And that's when things started to unravel.
Just before Christmas Day 2022 - Memphis’s first-ever invitation to the event, proof of their rapid rise—Ja Morant dropped a bombshell in an interview with Malika Andrews of ESPN. Asked which NBA team worried him, he answered "Celtics."
When asked if anyone in the West concerned him, he delivered a now-famous line: "Nah, I'm fine in the West."
Less than three months later, things fell apart.
A case surfaced alleging he had assaulted a 17-year-old boy, whom he then allegedly threatened with a firearm. Another incident involved his mother and his entourage allegedly assaulting a store security guard.
How did he respond? Ja Morant made the worst choice - going live on Instagram, brandishing a gun.
The result: an eight-game suspension from the Grizzlies, who still managed to finish second in the West but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Lakers, with Morant hampered by a hand injury.
Some called it karma, others youthful mistakes, but the talent was still there, and many expected him to come back with a vengeance. Wrong: just 15 days after the playoff exit, he went live on Instagram again, showing off another gun.
This time, the NBA had had enough - a 25-game suspension for the next season!
The result was a 2023/2024 season that started in December... and lasted only nine games before a torn shoulder ended it.
It’s starting to add up. And in the most recent season, with shoulder and knee issues, he played just 55 games, barely scraped into the playoffs via the play-in, only to get blown out by the Thunder, the future champions and a model for rebuilding - just like the Grizzlies were three years ago.
A series in which Morant barely averaged over 18 points.
Morant keeps digging
Three years of unstoppable rise, three years of a dramatic fall. That’s the current summary of Ja Morant’s career - and the Grizzlies’ recent history.
Naturally, everyone wondered what he’d look like in the new season, especially after the Grizzlies parted ways with coach Taylor Jenkins, who had been there since Morant arrived, and then sent Desmond Bane to Orlando for four first-round draft picks, hinting at a possible rebuild.
The big question was how he’d mesh with new head coach Tuomas Iisalo and it was followed with an answer that came quickly.
After just six games, Morant was suspended for one.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, "the suspension followed an altercation between Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo and Morant. Iisalo questioned his leadership and effort after the loss to the Lakers on Friday night—Morant responded in a way considered inappropriate."
And, as always in these situations, rumors started flying.
The Dallas Hoops Journal reported that Morant "hates" playing for Iisalo; ClutchPoints said the All-Star never got over Jenkins’ departure and refuses to respect his successor, blaming him for too many lineup changes; and according to Kelly Iko of Yahoo, the two barely speak anymore.
The result - Memphis sits with a 4-7 record, Morant is averaging under 20 points for the first time since his sophomore season, and given the fierce competition in the West, it’s hard to see this team doing anything meaningful this year.
A tough decision
Which leads to a simple question - should the Grizzlies trade Ja Morant? The offseason trade of Desmond Bane seemed to open the door, as Memphis swapped their number 3 for draft picks - a classic move for a team preparing to rebuild.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic even reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves have checked in about the point guard.
On paper, a Ja Morant - Anthony Edwards duo would sell tickets. On the court, it’s another story and another debate.
But if Memphis made Morant available, the phones would be ringing off the hook.
Still, trading the player who has been the face of the franchise’s revival since his arrival is a decision that goes beyond the front office. You have to consider the ripple effects, the city - is Memphis tired of Ja Morant?
No, according to local insiders, who say the point guard loves Memphis (he’s never talked about wanting a trade) and who probably want to calm things down, losing Morant could be disastrous.
Memphis is a small market that inherited a franchise that couldn’t make it in Vancouver. Since then, the Grizzlies have come a long way, with that conference finals run, but they’re still a team that struggles to attract free agents and won’t always be in the title hunt.
Ending the Ja Morant era means starting a rebuild, and while the Grizzlies got lucky in the 2019 lottery, that luck might not come around again.
But since the Luka Doncic trade, nothing is certain in the NBA.
Almost no player is untouchable anymore, and maybe, right now, Memphis is already negotiating a move. Morant’s value keeps dropping and that's the downside, even more so since the start of the season.
Not trading him means betting he’ll return to form and help rebuild a playoff-caliber team. And that’s what everyone would love to see.
Sometimes, trading a star is a risk. But here, the real risk might be keeping him, given his trajectory since 2022.
For a small market like Memphis, the odds of landing another talent like this in the coming years are extremely slim. If Ja Morant leaves, the Grizzlies could be in for a long, tough stretch. The franchise faces a crucial decision for its future - will they make the right call?
