Now what? Ja Morant staying with Griz looks to be a burden

In a massive upset, Ja Morant remained a member of the Memphis Grizzlies after Thursday’s NBA trade deadline passed. That makes the Griz a loser on deadline day, but it can be argued that Morant is the party who should be most embarrassed.

Despite being actively shopped following the decision to ship Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz earlier in the week, Morant wasn’t moved. After GM Zach Kleiman reportedly hoped for one first-round pick at minimum in addition to expiring contracts in order to land the former All-Star a few months ago, it reached a point where teams were asking for Memphis’ draft capital as incentive to add Morant’s contract.

Owed over $126 million for the remainder of this season through 2027-28, we just saw Morant is currently not tradable. He's an albatross. Undesired. That's a cold reality.

Morant was active on social media on Wednesday, posting a farewell to Jaren Jackson Jr. on his Instagram.

Ja Morant on Instagram pic.twitter.com/La3FBe5zqJ
— Playoff MEM (@PlayoffMem) February 4, 2026

Like most of the NBA world, he then waited for word of a trade that never came.

Word on Morant's return unlikely until after All-Star

Memphis will continue a five-game Western swing in Portland, where they’ll play games on Friday and Saturday. They’ll visit Golden State and Denver next week prior to the All-Star break, and will resume action following the respite at home against the Jazz on Feb. 20.

Jackson will presumably be on that trip and in the building that night, but what Morant will be doing is anyone’s guess. He could be in the starting lineup, on the bench still nursing an elbow injury or away from the group altogether.

Having just turned 26 years old last August, Morant still has a number of years in front of him where he can take advantage of his elite athleticism and instincts. From that standpoint, Memphis’ best move may wind up being to let him play through all the noise, hoping he excels and increases his trade value entering the offseason.

Ja Morant remained with the Memphis Grizzlies past today's NBA trade deadline. Multiple teams were intrigued by Morant's talent but none were willing to make a serious offer, sources said.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2026

Morant led Memphis in scoring in each of his last two games before landing on the injured list with an elbow injury. He neatly orchestrated a blowout of the Orlando Magic in London, dropping jaws and raining 3-pointers down in a 126-109 rout in which he led everyone with 24 points and 13 assists.

Now that he wasn’t moved, Morant figures to play when healthy and has Ty Jerome, Cam Spencer, rookie Cedric Coward and veteran Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as options alongside him and beside him in the backcourt. Regardless of whether he wants out or not, it will be in his best interest to pick up where he left off since his on-court reputation took such a hit amid a slow start that featured open pouting out on the floor.

Returning from a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team in early November, Morant responded “no” when asked by the Memphis Commercial Appeal if he had his usual “joy.” It’s been a tumultuous seventh season filled with trade rumors that now failed to come to fruition.

Morant shot an abysmal 10-for-60 from 3-point range (16.7 percent) to open the season and struggled with turnovers, but he’s looked much more polished in the games he played prior to this most recent injury.

After dealing with an early calf strain, Morant turned his ankle late in a Dec. 15 win over the Clippers and missed another four games. Center Zach Edey and Morant saw just 5:59 of action together in Cleveland before Morant left injured there, scoring seven points and dishing two assists.

Morant's prosperity could be tied to whether Edey returns

Will Edey play again this season? It’s possible, but not a lock. Not being able to unload Morant makes it feel like the Grizzlies remain in a holding pattern, which is why it’s anyone guess what direction the front office takes in terms of trying to increase his trade value.

Will he start and be the engine? Maybe. Could the Grizzlies choose to carry on without him, tanking to improve their draft chances and listing him as ‘out’ for the next few months? That’s a good possibility too. Morant's last Instagram update prior to not being traded related to his shoe deal, propping up his Nike kicks with the tag line, "proceed with caution," hyping up his elevation. That can now pertain to how teams are regarding his future and that massive contract.

Ja just now on IG pic.twitter.com/FB3zDBu3cw
— TyMuse (@TyMusee) February 5, 2026

Make no mistake, not being able to move forward completely by unloading Morant makes Thursday a missed opportunity. The Grizzlies had essentially pulled off the band-aid and started their rebuild in full by trading Jackson, so moving off the guy who no longer feels like the face of the franchise seemed like a must. It didn’t happen.

The Grizzlies did make one move that stuck, receiving Eric Gordon and a second-round pick swap from the Philadelphia 76ers, who were able to free up a roster spot for starting forward Dominick Barlow to convert him to a standard contract off a two-way deal. The pick swap, which added to Memphis’ impressive arsenal of draft assets, was the bright spot.

Gordon will likely be on the roster in a mentor role, sticking around since Georges Niang is expected to be waived instead.

All eyes now turn to what’s next for Morant, which is counterproductive since it’s obvious the Grizzlies badly wanted to move in a different direction.

Word on Morant's return unlikely until after All-Star

Morant's prosperity could be tied to whether Edey returns

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