How the Grizzlies can avoid a Ben Simmons situation with Ja and JJJ
The Grizzlies need Ja Morant more than he needs the team. Ja can go to literally any team in the NBA and probably enjoy more endorsements and more star power.
How do we keep someone of this magnitude, with this much star power, happy here in Memphis?
It’s simple. There’s no need to overthink it. Give Morant whatever he wants. If he wants another star player in Memphis, the front office needs to move heaven and earth to make that happen.
Thank goodness, the front office is well prepared for such a demand if it ever comes. The team has a bevy of first and second-round draft picks, plus expiring contracts to make a deal for a star if the opportunity comes.
Everything we’ve been seeing Morant do in public has lined up with him staying with the team long-term. There’s no real worry here that Morant will turn heel and abandon ship.
But, as we’ve seen time and time before, it doesn’t take much for a player to become disenfranchised. Hopefully a max-contract extension next offseason will be a gesture of goodwill and a desire for a long-term partnership between Morant and the Grizzlies.