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Grizzlies are open to trading Ja Morant after tensions with Tuomas Iisalo and declining performance, signaling a shift.
Grizzlies’ Ja Morant (X)
The Memphis Grizzlies are listening to trade offers for Ja Morant, marking a stunning shift in direction for a franchise once built entirely around its star guard.
Sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania that Memphis has opened discussions involving the 26-year-old two-time All-Star, ending the assumption that Morant was untouchable.
While Morant has not formally requested a trade, sources say the relationship between player and team has steadily eroded.
Tension escalated earlier this season when Morant was suspended for one game for conduct detrimental to the team following a postgame exchange with new head coach Tuomas Iisalo. In the aftermath, Morant privately told players around the league and some former coaches that he no longer wanted to play for Memphis, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
Morant has also grown frustrated with Iisalo’s rotation patterns, particularly short stints and mass substitutions, which sources say have made it difficult for him to find rhythm after returning from injuries.
On the court, this has been Morant’s least effective season statistically. He has appeared in just 18 games, averaging 19.0 points and 7.6 assists in 28.3 minutes per game, while shooting career lows of 40.1% from the field and 20.8% from three.
Memphis is 6–12 with Morant in the lineup and 10–9 without him, sitting at 16–22 and clinging to the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.
Despite his résumé — Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, multiple All-Star selections and one of the league’s most explosive highlight reels — Morant’s tenure in Memphis has been overshadowed by injuries and suspensions over the past three seasons. He played just 59 games combined across the previous two years due to gun-related suspensions and health issues.
Morant is earning $39.4 million this season and is under contract through 2027–28, with eligibility for a three-year, $178 million extension this summer. Rival executives believe the Grizzlies would prioritize young players and draft picks in any deal, signaling a potential soft reset around Jaren Jackson Jr. and a growing group of young contributors.
January 10, 2026, 3:57 pm IST
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