Ja Morant needs to pair with veteran star on next team

With the Memphis Grizzlies open to trading Ja Morant, his camp should be focused on one thing if they have any say in the situation, as oftentimes stars do. 

They should push for him to land with a team with very strong veteran leadership.

Just a few years ago, Morant looked like one of the most promising young guards in the league. He was electric. It appeared as though he was jumping off a trampoline whenever he elevated into the air.  

His star has dramatically fallen since, punctuated by a series of behavior issues and injuries. 

Most notably, the NBA suspended Morant for eight games in March 2022 after he recorded himself on Instagram Live waving a gun in a Colorado strip club. A little over two months later, a video of him flashing a gun on Instagram Live surfaced, leading the NBA to suspend him for another 25 games.

Sadly, those are just two of the incidents that have checkered his career among a long list, including him allegedly threatening the head of security at a Memphis-area mall in 2022, as well as allegedly punching a 17-year-old during a pickup basketball game at his house in July 2023, per the Washington Post.  

This season, issues of maturity arose again after he was suspended for one game following a dust-up with Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo, who challenged his leadership after a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 31. Morant responded in a dismissive manner, according to ESPN. 

Morant didn’t do himself any favors after he returned from his suspension. When he was asked if he had his usual joy playing basketball, he didn’t even pretend to have an improved attitude, responding, “No.” 

It was all too much for the Grizzlies, especially considering Morant has only played in 18 games this season because of a calf contusion and 50 games last season because of an AC joint sprain in his shoulder and a hip injury. Not to mention, his shot has fallen off, with him averaging 19 points, his lowest output since his rookie season. And he’s shooting career lows from the field (40.1 percent) and beyond the 3-point line (20.8 percent). 

So, the Grizzlies finally waved the white flag and are shopping Morant for the first time in his seven-season career. 

Morant needs help. He needs guidance. He needs someone to call him out. 

It’s hard to imagine he would’ve done these antics if he had been playing alongside a veteran star. Or even if he had been mentored by one. 

There are so many guys around the league who have gotten it right, including the league’s three biggest superstars: LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. Imagine if he had played alongside one of them how differently things could’ve turned out for Morant. Or even if there was some sort of mentorship program, pairing the league’s brightest young stars with its biggest names. 

James, who entered the league at 18 with crushing expectations, has avoided controversy his entire 23-year-career. Curry presents as the picture of wholesomeness, regularly professing his love for God and his family. Durant, similarly, has an immaculate record, with his Tweets laughably being the only thing off the court for which he can be criticized. 

While Morant may never get to play alongside those guys, the point is he needs to share a roster with someone who isn’t afraid to make him fall in line. Someone who either gets it — or has learned from their mistakes and rehabilitated their image. Someone who Morant respects. Someone who won’t tolerate any shenanigans.

The Grizzlies signed Derrick Rose to a two-year deal in the summer of 2023 with the hopes that he could help guide Morant. But at Rose’s request, he was waived in Sept. 2024 and then he retired. Similarly, they traded for Marcus Smart that offseason, but then ended up trading him to the Wizards at the trade deadline in Feb. 2025. 

Currently, the oldest person on the Grizzlies’ roster is 32-year-old Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who won championships in 2020 and 2023 with the Lakers and Nuggets, respectively. But clearly Caldwell-Pope, who’s known as a great locker room guy as well as a 3-and-D specialist, hasn’t been able to alter things for Morant. 

Morant needs a star to tell him how much he’s getting things wrong, on and off the court. The guard may not be able to control injuries, but he can control his attitude, locker room presence and behavior. 

He can control how hard he works during the offseason. His engagement level. His effort. 

Morant looked like he was on the fasttrack to becoming the next big name in the league during the 2021-22 season when he averaged 27.4 points, 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds, winning Most Improved Player and making the All-NBA Second Team. 

Since then, his antics have cost him so much, from his reputation to sponsorship deals to a lot of cash. (He missed the 2023 All-NBA team because of his suspension, which cost him $40 million and locked his extension at $197 million, instead of The Rose Rule max of five years at $237 million.)

Morant is still young and capable of reaching his potential, but his camp must push for him to be surrounded by a strong leader, even if it falls upon deaf ears. 

It’s his best chance of turning things around.