Ja Morant Trade Rumors Addressed by Grizzlies HC Ahead of 2026 NBA Deadline

Despite reports that the Memphis Grizzlies are exploring trades involving Ja Morant, head coach Tuomas Iisalo isn't saying anything publicly about the situation.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Memphis' games this week in Berlin, Iisalo dismissed a question about Morant being available in a trade.

"We are not in the business of commenting on random internet reports," Iisalo said. "He's progressing in the practices. He's already able to do a lot of the parts of practice, so looking good to progress (toward playing)."

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Jan. 9 that the Grizzlies have started to entertain offers for the two-time All-Star point guard.

Morant's future has been a source of speculation for some time, especially since there seemed to be a disconnect early in the season between him and Iisalo.

After an Oct. 31 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Morant seemed upset about his usage in the game. He told reporters in the locker room afterward to "go ask the coaching staff" when asked what went wrong in the defeat.

The Grizzlies suspended Morant one game for conduct detrimental to the team as a result of those comments. The situation between Morant and Iisalo came after the 26-year-old reportedly "tuned out" Taylor Jenkins prior to Memphis firing Jenkins in March.

Another reason the Grizzlies might be inclined to explore deals for Morant is he hasn't been a reliable on-court presence for several years. He has already missed 21 games this season and hasn't played more than 65 games in a season since his rookie year in 2018-19.

The market for Morant will be interesting because it doesn't seem like there is a large appetite for talented-but-flawed point guards on expensive contracts. Trae Young, a four-time All-Star, was just acquired by the Washington Wizards from the Atlanta Hawks for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

Morant has two more years left on his current contract after this season, compared to one plus a player option for Young. He has also been trending in the wrong direction offensively with career-lows in field-goal percentage (40.1) and three-point percentage (20.8) in 18 starts this season.

With the Grizzlies currently sitting in 10th place in the Western Conference (17-22), it's at least worth exploring the market for Morant to see if they could get a deal that brings back short-and long-term assets to get them back to being a playoff contender.