The NBA Trade Deadline is just shy of a little over two weeks away, and one of the biggest names reportedly on the market is Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant. The Grizzlies were recently in Berlin and London as part of the NBA’s Europe Games, and Morant seemingly squashed any rumors that he wanted to be traded. However, that hasn’t quite poured cold water yet on the trade winds.
Even after Ja Morant declared himself loyal to the franchise, Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal still believes that the Grizzlies star will be on the move come the NBA Trade Deadline.
“To answer the question just straight forward, I do think that as of right now if you’re saying, does Ja Morant stay [in Memphis] past the trade deadline? I would lean more towards no based on what we know,” Cole said during a recent episode of the Locked On Grizzlies podcast.
After not playing the Grizzlies’ first Europe game, Morant made his return to the lineup and had one of his best games of the season. He finished with a game-high 24 points, five rebounds and 13 assists in 28 minutes as the Grizzlies defeated the Orlando Magic, 126-109.
The regular season started off a little rocky for Morant and the Grizzlies, beginning with an argument between the All-Star guard and head coach Tuomas Iisalo. That’s when trade rumors initially started heating up, and report last week from ESPN’s Shams Charania seemingly confirmed that the Grizzlies were entertaining offers for the former No. 2 overall pick.
Morant has appeared in 19 games this season, at a little over 28 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 19.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.0 steals with splits of 40.7 percent shooting from the field, 23.5 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 89 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
