Have Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies reached a point of no return? ESPN's Kendrick Perkins believes so after a contentious spat with the coaching staff led to a one-game suspension. Morant isn't happy with the Grizzlies this season, which is the beginning of Memphis head coach Tuomas Iisalo's first full season as head coach after taking in late March last season.
In the wake of Morant's frustration with his coaches' direction this season, which involves playing Ja in intermittent spurts over long-winded stints, Perkins believes Morant's future is elsewhere, he said, per ESPN's Road Trippin.
“I feel like this relationship has run it’s course. I do think it’s time for Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies to part ways,” Perkins said. “I do think there’s only one option for Ja Morant. One direction that he needs to go. He needs that Erik Spoelstra, Pat Riley Miami Heat culture.”
Spoelstra's disciplined regimen and hard-work approach is well-documented as the backbone to the Miami Heat's culture, which is what Kendrick Perkins is alluding to as the kind of environment that could whip Morant into shape. However, with the kind of attitude Morant's illustrated hasn't been the best PR for potential suitors looking to trade for the mercurial guard.
Marc Spears shares NBA execs' harsh take on Grizzlies' Ja Morant
Some NBA executives wouldn't trade for Grizzlies' Ja Morant, according to ESPN's Marc Spears. The combination of Morant's five-year, $197.2 million contract and off the court issues, including two gun incidents on social media, scares GMs off.
There are more than a few NBA executives that feel trading for Morant isn't worth the risk, Spears revealed, per ESPN's NBA Today.
“Four of the execs I talked to today say they really have no interest in trading for him. One said it was because it's a combo of contract and off the court issues. Another suggested that if Ja is traded it'll probably be a problem star for a problem star. I asked one current NBA coach if he would like to coach Ja Morant and he said I'm not sure I'd want to.”
Marc Spears on what people around the league are saying about Ja Morant:
"Four of the execs I talked to today say they really have no interest in trading for him. One said it was because it's a combo of contract and off the court issues. Another suggested that if Ja is traded… pic.twitter.com/C3Q3UiD6P0
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) November 4, 2025
Morant is in the third year of his deal, which is worth $39.4 million, and bumps up to $42.1 and $44.8 million in the back-end of his contract.
