The Memphis Grizzlies may not be in a full-blown crisis just yet, but they soon could be if they don't rectify their most pressing issue at the moment, which is handling the Ja Morant situation. Morant is turning the locker room's mood sour, he's fighting the coaching staff, and he's playing poorly as of late — with the Grizzlies having lost three consecutive games.
Morant even admitted that he doesn't feel any joy when suiting up on the hardwood, which is concerning and is downright a red flag especially for fans who tuned in to the Jimmy Butler situation last season. It's unlikely that the Grizzlies trade Morant away considering how they value him as their franchise cornerstone, but their hand might be forced if these issues persist.
However, even if the Grizzlies reach the point where they would want to trade Morant away, they might find it difficult to do so. ESPN insider Marc Spears provided an insight as to how other teams view the Grizzlies' floor general.
“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,” Spears said on ESPN's NBA Today.
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's trade value is going further down with each passing issue that involves him, and at some point, his reputation makes him a difficult player to have around, at least in the eyes of some talent evaluators and coaches.
The best thing the Grizzlies can do is try to repair the relationship and get it back to where it was in the past, but it's not quite clear if that's possible in this situation.
Ja Morant, Grizzlies have not recovered from 2023 downfall
During the 2022-23 season, it looked like the Grizzlies were making the official leap to powerhouse status, as they were near the top of the Western Conference all season long. And then Morant got involved in a slew of off-court incidents, and the league had to step in and suspend him. Since then, everything has changed for the Grizzlies, and they've been a middling Western Conference playoff team since.
Considering how much baggage there is with Morant, the Grizzlies may have to move on, one way or another.
