Why Are Kings and Timberwolves Secretly Watching the Ja Morant Trade Drama Unfold?

Right out of the gate, the Memphis Grizzlies find themselves fumbling in the dark with a lackluster 3-5 record, plagued by struggles on both ends of the court. Now, throw in a dash of off-court chaos worthy of a reality show — star guard Ja Morant’s uninspired outing against the Lakers sent ripples through the team. Fresh off the bench, coach Tuomas Iisalo doesn’t mince words, calling out Morant behind closed doors. The drama? Morant’s snapback at the coaching staff led to a swift one-game suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Yikes, right? This saga isn’t just about on-court woes; it’s spiraling into trade rumors, whispers echoing through NBA front offices. But here’s the kicker: despite Morant still putting up decent numbers and sporting a contract that won’t break the bank, the market for him? Slim pickings. Teams are watching, sure — Minnesota and Sacramento among them —but the tough truth lingers. Memphis stands at a crossroads, likely needing to regroup, get healthy, and give coach Iisalo time with a more complete squad before making any seismic moves. As February’s trade deadline looms, only then will we see if any ripple turns into a tidal wave. Until then, keep those eyes peeled! LEARN MORE

Memphis has stumbled out of the gate to a 3-5 record with a bottom-10 offense and defense. Then came the reality-TV level unnecessary drama: Star Ja Morant had a low-effort game against the Lakers (check out the video), new Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo believes in being direct and calling out players letting the team down and did so with Morant in the locker room, Morant responded by throwingthe coaches under the bus, which led to him being suspended for one game for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Things have not looked much better since.

In the NBA, an unhappy star inevitably leads to trade speculation. That has happened here. However, there is not much of a market around the league in trading for Morant, multiple front office sources told NBC Sports. There are concerns about whether he is still an All-Star-level player, and how his personality and ball-dominant style would fit on a lot of rosters. That said, there is always some level of interest in picking up a player — especially a popular one, someone a team’s marketing arm can sell and boost ticket sales — on a lowball offer, or a team open to trading a problem star for a problem star. The challenge becomes that if Memphis is ever going to consider parting with the face of the franchise, it will want a massive haul in return, and that market is not out there.

Teams are at least keeping their eye on what is happening in Memphis, reports Sam Amick at The Athletic.

“There is still no shortage of teams that will continue monitoring his situation. The Minnesota Timberwolves, per a team source, are one. Ditto for the Sacramento Kings. The Grizzlies’ next opponent, the Houston Rockets, need a point guard after losing Fred Van Vleet to a torn ACL in the preseason but, per a team source, are unlikely to pursue him.”

Morant’s contract is not the issue. He is making $39.5 million this season and has two years, $87.1 million remaining after this season, reasonable numbers if a team still considers Morant an All-Star. Morant can still put up numbers, averaging 20.4 points and 7.1 assists a game this season.

Memphis would be wise to wait until they get healthy — center Zach Edey is near a return, and this team badly misses Scottie Pippen Jr. and Ty Jerome for spacing — before making any decisions. Give Iisalo a chance as he starts to get back key players who better fit his system. Then, if that doesn’t work, there will be hard conversations to have about him, Jaren Jackson Jr. and the rest of the roster.

For right now, Memphis is just trying to get itself right, and the rest of the league is watching this play out. As we get closer to the trade deadline in February, the situation may change, but this is more likely an offseason kind of move. If we see a change at all.