The Memphis Grizzlies are sitting at a disappointing 19–29 record. Memphis has fallen well out of the playoff picture and isn’t even seriously threatening a spot in the Play-In Tournament.
With the Feb. 5 trade deadline fast approaching, the front office has already shown it’s willing to make bold moves. The recent decision to trade Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz sent a strong message that changes are coming. Now, a new revelation involving franchise star Ja Morant has only added more fuel to the fire.
NBA Insider’s Latest Revelation Regarding Ja Morant
NBA Insider Brett Siegel recently said on a segment that Morant’s camp is eyeing the Miami Heat as the only trade destination they’re interested in right now.
“Ja Morant’s camp, they see one avenue, and that avenue is the Miami Heat. They have been the team that has been linked to Ja Morant for weeks now, and it’s the team he potentially wants to go to, and if they’re willing to give him a big extension, like it seems like the indications are that could be the trade that goes down,” Siegel said during a segment of “The Drive Guys.”
It’s not just Siegel throwing this out there. According to a league source who spoke with the Sun Sentinel just a day ago, there has been real buzz that Miami could be making moves for both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Morant before the Feb. 5Â trade deadline hits.
Things between Morant and Memphis really started going downhill back on Nov. 1. He had some kind of clash with head coach Tuomas Iisalo, and it wasn’t just a small disagreement, as it cost him a one-game suspension. But that was just the beginning of the drama.
Right before that incident on Oct. 31 against the Lakers, Morant only managed to put up eight points. That was not a great night. Word got out that Coach Iisalo confronted him in the locker room afterward, questioning his effort and whether he was really stepping up as a leader for the team. Instead of taking the criticism and working through it, Morant apparently got pretty defensive about the whole thing.
Then, when reporters asked him why his minutes were cut in the next game, he didn’t really answer. He basically told them to go ask the coaches themselves. Not exactly the response the team wanted to hear.
So what did Memphis do? They benched him for their game against Toronto. With the Grizzlies already shifting pieces and looking toward the future, it remains to be seen whether Morant will ultimately end up in Miami or stay in Memphis.
