In July 2022, Ja Morant signed a contract worth close to $200 million and looked like the future of the Memphis Grizzlies for the foreseeable future. He had just led a young, electric team to a second-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors. He was 22 years old. The ceiling felt limitless.
Four years later, the picture looks nothing like that.
Morant has privately told players around the league and some of his former coaches that he will no longer play for the Grizzlies, according to multiple league sources who spoke with ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Michael C. Wright. Despite saying publicly after a 24-point, 13-assist performance against Orlando in London in January that his Grizzlies tattoo made his intentions clear, sources say his private position tells a different story entirely.
The moment that broke Morant’s relationship with Memphis
The breaking point traces back to a locker room confrontation with head coach Tuomas Iisalo following a Halloween night loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Morant had shot 3-for-14 in 31 minutes, and Iisalo called him out for what the coach described as substandard effort. Morant, who had already been frustrated with Iisalo’s substitution patterns, responded in a manner sources described as dismissive and condescending.
The organization suspended him for one game and sided firmly with Iisalo, a pointed message that Morant has never moved past. During the suspension period, teammates were instructed to give Morant space, leaving him feeling cut off from the people closest to him.
That estrangement never healed. According to ESPN’s report, Morant still had not processed the suspension by the end of the season, months after the incident occurred.
A season that confirmed the end of an era
The 2025-26 season was Morant’s worst by nearly every measure. He appeared in just 20 games before a UCL sprain in his left elbow ended his year on January 21. His shooting percentage dropped to a career-worst 41%, and he averaged 19.5 points per game. A chase-down block that night may have been his final act in a Grizzlies uniform.
The franchise had already been signaling a broader rebuild. At the midseason trade deadline, Memphis dealt Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz for a package of assets. Desmond Bane had been moved to the Orlando Magic in the 2025 offseason. The trade deadline in February came and went with Morant still on the roster, though reports indicated the front office made efforts to find a deal. Those conversations with other teams fell apart.
Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman offered measured words during his exit interview on Monday. He described Morant as professional and said both sides were on the same page as much as possible, declining to address potential transactions. He did not attend the exit interviews.
What a Morant trade could realistically look like
The Sacramento Kings emerged as one interested party during February trade discussions, according to MacMahon. Sacramento reportedly asked the Grizzlies to include first-round draft compensation alongside Morant to make a deal work, which ended those talks quickly. The Kings could revisit their interest this summer if they do not find their lead guard of the future in the upcoming NBA Draft.
The broader trade market for Morant is complicated. Several executives from around the league told ESPN they believe Memphis will have better luck finding a destination this summer than it did at the deadline, while also making clear the Grizzlies should not expect significant value in return. He is still owed a substantial amount on the $197 million contract he signed in 2022, which runs through the 2027-28 season.
The 26-year-old has not played more than 50 regular-season games in a single since 2022-23. His off-court history, which includes two separate gun-related suspensions in 2023 and a lawsuit stemming from a 2022 altercation, has added layers to an already complicated situation.
Both sides are ready for a reset
The Grizzlies hired Iisalo specifically because his offensive system was believed to suit Morant’s attacking style. Firing Taylor Jenkins before that was a move rooted in serving Morant better. By suspending Him and standing behind Iisalo when the conflict arose, Memphis made its position clear. The organization chose its head coach.
Everything since has confirmed what has been building for years. Both parties appear to want the same thing. The question now is simply what Memphis can get in return.
