Three days before he's supposed to represent the NBA on German soil, Ja Morant can't seem to stay out of the rumor mill. And this time, the noise isn't just coming from fans on Twitter. It's coming from the people who sign the checks.
"Feedback we got on Ja wasn't any more favorable than the feedback that we got on Trae [Young]," ESPN's Tim MacMahon said on the 'Hoop Collective' podcast this week. Then came the kicker from an anonymous NBA executive: "The combination of pain in the a**, injury prone, not that good anymore, and big contract is a bad one."
That's not scouting report language. That's a warning label.
When did we get here?
Four years ago, Morant looked like the future of point guard play. Explosive. Fearless. The kind of player who made you rewind the same dunk six times because surely nobody actually did that.
Now? He's averaging 19 points per game—his lowest since his rookie year—on a 40.1% field goal percentage that ranks among the worst of his career. The three-point shot, never a strength, has cratered to 20.8%. His true shooting sits at an ugly 50.6%. For a guy owed $87.1 million over the next two years, those numbers are a problem.
But the numbers only tell part of the story. The rest has been playing out in locker rooms and postgame press conferences all season.
The Memphis situation is a mess
The timeline of events since November reads like a soap opera script:
After an October 31 loss to the Lakers, Morant publicly questioned first-year coach Tuomas Iisalo's offensive system. "According to them, probably don't play me, honestly," he said. "That's basically what the message was after."
Iisalo fired back internally, reportedly calling out Morant's "lack of effort and leadership." The team suspended him one game for conduct detrimental.
Here's where it gets worse. According to ESPN, teammates were instructed to give Morant space during the suspension. Instead of feeling supported, he felt isolated. The divide never healed. Sources say Morant has told players around the league and former coaches that he's mentally checked out of Memphis.
The Grizzlies went 10-10 without him this season. With him? 6-12. Let that sink in for a second.
So what's he actually worth?
This is where things get uncomfortable for Memphis. The Trae Young deal last week set a floor—and it's lower than anyone expected. Atlanta shipped Young to Washington for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. No first-round picks. Nothing that remotely resembles the return you'd expect for a former All-Star.
Morant's market might not be any warmer. Both are undersized guards with defensive liabilities and massive contracts. But at least Young can shoot. Morant is hitting 20.8% from three on a career-high 3.7 attempts per game. That's a feature, not a sample size fluke.
ESPN's Bobby Marks laid out the brutal math: Morant still has $87 million guaranteed through 2027-28. If a team trades for him now and he returns to form, they got a steal. If he doesn't—and he's played just 138 games over the past three seasons—they're stuck with a declining asset eating up $45 million in cap space.
Who's actually in this?
The reported interested parties say a lot about where Morant's value sits:
The Miami Heat need offensive juice but would be swapping one flawed guard (Tyler Herro) for an even more volatile one. The Minnesota Timberwolves have explored adding playmaking all season, though giving up Naz Reid or Jaden McDaniels for a 6-12 record seems like a steep ask. The Milwaukee Bucks, desperate to salvage Giannis's prime, keep getting linked to every available name—but they'd have to gut their roster to make the money work.
Then there's the Brooklyn Nets, labeled a "deep dark horse" by The Athletic's John Hollinger. The logic: sell high on Michael Porter Jr., buy low on Morant, and hope he rediscovers himself in a new environment. It's a gamble. But the Nets have done stranger things.
The Houston Rockets reportedly have no interest. Smart. Sacramento's rumored package—DeMar DeRozan, Devin Carter, and a protected pick—apparently doesn't excite Memphis either.
Where does this actually go?
The trade deadline is February 5. Morant is currently sidelined with a calf injury, which doesn't exactly help Memphis's negotiating position. Every day he's not on the court is another day potential suitors can point to injury history as a reason to lower their offers.
Gilbert Arenas came out swinging against the whole idea of trading him. "They ain't ever going to be no contending team," he said, questioning why Memphis would sell low on their best player when the roster around him isn't good enough to win anything anyway.
He's got a point. But maybe that's the whole problem. Morant was supposed to be the guy who made that roster good enough. Instead, the Grizzlies look steadier without him on the floor. That's the kind of split that ends relationships.
Thursday's game in Berlin might be the last time Ja Morant suits up in a Memphis uniform overseas. Or anywhere. Three weeks from now, this could all be someone else's problem.