Ja Morant traded to Trail Blazers in end to troubled Grizzlies tenure

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Two-time NBA All-Star and one of the league’s most controversial players off the court, Ja Morant, was traded by the Grizzlies on Monday.

Morant was dealt to the Trail Blazers, uniting him with Portland stars Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson, in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported.

The deal ends a turbulent tenure for Morant in Memphis, where he became a household name while simultaneously finding himself in increasingly significant trouble due to gun-related incidents off the court as well as injury issues. Morant appeared in just 79 games over the past three seasons due to suspensions and injuries.

At his best, Morant is one of the top players in the NBA, and his early career reflected the talent that he possesses.

He won Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player in his first two seasons in the NBA, which included a 2021-22 season in which he averaged 27.4 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.

Morant was named to the NBA All-Star Game in 2022 and 2023, as well as earning All-NBA Second Team honors in 2021-22.

But things quickly turned for him in 2023, when, in March of that year, Morant was suspended for eight games for conduct detrimental to the league and then started the 2023-24 season with a 25-game ban.

Both stemmed from Morant flashing a firearm on livestreams on his social media.

He was also suspended for one game by the Grizzlies after an incident in November with head coach Tuomas Iisalo following a loss to the Lakers.

Now with Morant and the remaining two years and $87 million left on his contract gone, the Grizzlies have disbanded the core group of players that was once the cornerstone of the franchise, which included Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr.