Bobby Marks, an NBA source for ESPN, says that Ja Morant will stay with the Memphis Grizzlies.
A lot of talk has been going on about Ja Morant and his future with the Memphis Grizzlies since they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of this year’s playoffs. The Grizzlies were the No. 2 seeds in the Western Conference in 2022 and 2023, but they haven’t been able to get back to that level of success because of illness and poor play.
Last season, Morant scored 23.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. However, he only played in 50 regular-season games and three playoff games before hurting his hip and missing Game 4 against the Thunder, which was the deciding game.
There are layers to extension talks with Morant,” Marks said. He signed a five-year, $197 million extension in 2022, so there is no sense of hurry. He still has three years left on that deal. It’s not clear how long Morant will be able to play since he’s missed 120 games over the last three seasons because of injuries and suspensions. Why give a player two more years and $128.4 million if they can’t stay on the court?
“Then there is the belief that Memphis still views the former All-Star as a player to build around not just next season but in the foreseeable future.”
Marks thought that Morant would play out the 2025–26 season without a contract increase. He said that talks about a new deal would begin next summer. He scored the fewest points per game in his third NBA season, which is something to keep in mind.
