Ja Morant Tells Grizzlies He Doesn’t Want To Be Traded

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Grizzlies are open to trading Ja Morant

Grizzlies star Ja Morant is on the trade block after a controversial season so far, but it appears he’d rather stay with the franchise. Morant became the face of the Memphis Grizzlies after he got drafted there and led the team to relevance rather quickly. However, the past few years of drama, suspensions, and injuries have led to Memphis finally putting him on the trade market.

The Stein Line reports that Morant recently reached out to management to request his desire to remain in Memphis:

“Ja has made it very clear he does not want to get traded. He wants to stay. The reality is I don’t think there is a huge market for him. I don’t think there’s a trade the Grizzlies could make to sell to their fans. He wants to stay but he also wants to have more say like he used to. The franchise does not revolve around Ja Morant anymore like it used to.”

Multiple important factors are in play from that quote when looking at the story. Morant said he was losing his joy to play basketball earlier in the season, but this shows him changing his tune. The Grizzlies have about two weeks left to decide their long-term future before the trade deadline passes.

Why Ja Morant Wants To Say

The recent return from injury saw Morant joining his teammates for the Grizzlies’ international games against the Orlando Magic. Morant had a strong performance once cleared for the second game to help Memphis score a victory. A post-game interview saw Morant talking about feeling loyalty towards the Grizzlies franchise amidst trade rumors.

Stein’s report about Morant reaching out to management about not wanting to get traded just makes that more valid. Memphis is currently in the play-in race and will have a chance to make the postseason if they remain healthy.

However, the ceiling is still relatively low with no path towards contending for an NBA Championship like the franchise hoped just a few years ago. Morant and Jaren Jackson are extremely talented players, but neither feels like they are franchise players to remain for the long-term future with all the rumors of them being moved.

Memphis Holds Leverage Over Ja Morant

The report indicates that a weak trade market could make Memphis stand pat and keep Morant for the rest of the season. However, Morant wants to stay and continue to get superstar treatment like the past few years when everything was about him as the franchise player.

Stein claims that this has ended and the Grizzlies will no longer prioritize Morant over other top players and the coaching. This season’s drama between Morant and the coaching staff saw the front office siding with head coach Tuomas Iisalo.

Morant must be content with having less power than he did at his peak due to a few losing seasons and his reliability not being as guaranteed. However, it does appear that the previous likely trade of Morant moving is now a longer shot. Opposing teams may not be able to swindle Memphis now that things are trending a little more positively.

Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford