There is one place Ja Morant won't be going

Ja Morant has been swirling around the rumor mill this season. He has seen himself deal with internal conflict with coach Iisalo, missed more games due to a calf strain, and has struggled when he has been on the floor only scoring 18 points per game and shooting below 20% from three.

When it was first reported that Morant could be on the move, it was also reported that there may not be a robust market for his services, according to sources cited by Tim MacMahon. During a discussion on The Hoop Collective Podcast, Morant’s situation was examined:

Ja Morant is not expected to have a robust trade market, per @BannedMacMahon.

TM: “You guys [Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps] talk to people. I talk to people. Do you guys find a lot of people that believe there’s going to be some robust market if they do shop Ja Morant?”

TB:… pic.twitter.com/HOtnWdhRG8
— APHoops (@APH00PS) November 3, 2025

And now one team has stepped up and said that they are out of the race for Ja Morant, the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets are not interested in pursuing Ja Morant, per @sam_amick

(https://t.co/5qh8cOHcs4) pic.twitter.com/7MH1UCYK2K
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) December 11, 2025

The Rockets recently made the offseason trade for Kevin Durant and have a solid, championship contending core in Durant, Sengun, Thompson and others and have jumped out to a 15-6 record.

While the focus for the Grizzlies may not be on trading Morant right now, it is important to monitor his trade market.

While Morant has been out the Grizzlies have stayed afloat, actually regaining their balance, much in thanks to Zach Edey and the young stars including rookie Cedric Coward.

So with Morant's return looming it will be interesting to see how the Grizzlies rotation is affected, and if the young guys can continue their current production.

Often times when people return to the rotation, many struggle trying to regain their footing in a new role. So, the way the Grizzlies play with Morant will play a large factor in whether or not he gets traded.

Morant has been healing his relationship with the Grizzlies over recent weeks, playing a huge role as a leader on the bench, he has stepped up for rookie Cedric Coward after he was tripped, and is now also giving back to the fans as he is giving away 250 tickets on 12/12, the game where he should be returning.

Ja Morant's relationship with the Grizzlies has improved, per @sam_amick

(Via @RunItBackFDTV) pic.twitter.com/IcdQFErbNu
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) December 10, 2025

The Grizzlies are winning without Morant, but they should also get a better version of Morant than they saw early on in the season. And with the return of Zach Edey the Grizzlies defense has catapulted to the top of the league, helping lead the Grizzlies to a 7-3 record in the 10 games Morant has missed due to the calf strain.

With the Rockets out on the Morant market and many executives pointing to the same issues, injuries, off the court problems, and on the court production, maybe Morant will stay a member of the Grizzlies and "focus on the mission" like him and Jaren Jackson Jr. shared on social media a few days ago.