Former Miami Heat Coach Stan Van Gundy Unloads On Ja Morant's Behavior

The Miami Heat's six-game win streak was snapped Thursday night after a heartbreaking loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Ja Morant hit a buzzer-beating mid-range shot to hand the Heat their first loss since Mar. 21. However, even with this loss, the Heat secured a spot in the Play-In Tournament after a Bucks win.

During Thursday's game, former Heat coach and TNT sportscaster Stan Van Gundy criticized Morant's on-court behavior.

"Ja Morant spending way too much of the night crying, talking about blaming his teammates, blaming the referees" - Stan Van Gundy pic.twitter.com/yuQITLv9WK
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 4, 2025

"Ja Morant [is] spending way too much of the night crying, talking about blaming his teammates, blaming the referees," Van Gundy said. "He simply needs to do a better job taking care of the ball and needs to be a lot more efficient."

Van Gundy was an assistant coach under Pat Riley from 1995 to 2003. He was promoted after Riley stepped away from the team. Under Van Gundy's reign from 2003 to 2005, the Heat had a 112-73 record along with playoff appearances in each season. He resigned 21 games into the 2005-06 season, leading to Riley's coaching return and a Miami Heat championship.

Morant is no stranger to controversy. This season, he has been under NBA review for multiple warnings over his finger gun gestures on the court. Morant has also been suspended twice after promoting violence on social media.

The Grizzlies fired coach Taylor Jenkins last week even with their standing in the Western Conference. Many believe Morant could be available in trade talks this summer with the growing dysfunction in Memphis. The Heat could be a team interested in acquiring the 2019 No. 2 overall pick.

HEAT HAVE TOUGH OFFSEASON AHEAD

The Miami Heat's disappointing regular season concludes next week.

The team holds the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference. That is good for a Play-In tournament appearance. However, the Heat were in the NBA Finals just two seasons ago. The Heat need to win out the remainder to finish with a .500 record. The last time the team finished below .500 was the 2018-19 season.

Moving Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline threw a wrench in the franchise's plans for the future. Bleacher Report believes the Heat have a somewhat difficult future ahead.

"Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and rookie center Kel'el Ware give the Miami Heat a solid baseline off which to work moving forward," the article wrote. "But their draft-pick obligations demand chasing immediate highs, and they don't exactly have the assets or in-house upside to pull it off."

Over the past few seasons, Herro was floated in trade rumors, especially when the Heat were in the mix for All-Star guard Damian Lillard. This season, Herro has broken out, earning an All-Star nod. He is viewed as a building block for the future along with Adebayo and Ware.

"Point being: Miami doesn't have the freedom to rebuild, is light on tradeable firsts even after scooping up Golden State's for this year, and cannot carve out meaningful cap space until at least 2026," the article continued. "The Heat have limited capacity to shake things up, and the odds of dramatic internal improvement rest predominantly with Ware or Jaime Jaquez Jr. (to a lesser extent these days)."

The Heat have some money to work with this offseason after moving off Butler's contract. However, the 2026 offseason is crucial for the franchise as Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson's expensive contracts expire.

HEAT AMONG DURANT'S PREFERRED TRADE DESTINATIONS

The Miami Heat have a busy offseason ahead of them.

The team notably traded star Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline after months of dispute.

At the deadline, trade rumors surrounding Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant gained momentum. The Miami Heat were reportedly a preferred trade destination for the 15-time All-Star. Durant was not traded but talks are expected to resume this offseason according to ESPN insider Shams Charania.

Other teams interested included the Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. Durant did not want to get traded mid-season for the second time in three seasons. He has reportedly grown disgruntled as the Suns are still fighting for a spot in the Play-In tournament with only a handful of games left in the regular season.

If the Heat make a move for Durant this summer, the team should immediately become one of the championship favorites in the Eastern Conference. A foundation built around Durant, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo could be a dangerous contender. His price should be hefty on the trade market. Acquiring Durant may force the Heat to part with multiple first-round picks and young stars such as Kel'el Ware.

Durant turns 37 this fall. He is under contract through next season before hitting unrestricted free agency. This season, Durant is averaging 26.6 points, six rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 52.7 percent from the field.

Sean Jordan is a contributor to Miami Heat On Sports Illustrated. He can be reached at sjorda06@syr.edu.

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