3 Questions that will shape the Grizzlies 2023 offseason
How strongly will the Grizzlies react to the Ja Morant suspension?
At the time of this writing, Ja Morant, the Grizzlies organization, and the rest of the NBA world are reacting to the recent announcement from the NBA that Morant will be suspended for the first 25 games of the 2023-2024 season, due to a recent incident where Ja allegedly flashed a firearm on an Instagram Live stream.
This is not Ja’s first alleged incident involving guns and IG Live, and according to the NBA’s official statement on the terms of the suspension, Morant “will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior,” prior to his return to play.
The Grizzlies have survived without Morant on several occasions, whether it be due to suspension or injury. However, these absences were unexpected at the time, and the Grizzlies had to essentially make do with what they had. Now, the Grizzlies have the opportunity to somewhat plan for an extended absence, and make moves with that in mind. But the question of how much the Morant suspension should influence off-season personnel moves is one that has an already apparent infraction point.
Tyus Jones has emerged as one of the league’s premier backup point guards during his time with the Grizzlies. The pain of Morant’s absences has been dulled by the presence of Jones, whose league-best assist-to-turnover ratio through the past several seasons has solidified Jones’ place as a high-level floor general. Despite the obvious need for a backup point guard for the upcoming season in light of Morant’s extended absence, Jones also holds significant trade value as both a solid player, as well as a $14 million expiring contract, while being on a team with a significant hole at the starting small forward position.
How the Grizzlies work around and through this particular dilemma could exemplify how they view other situations going forward. Do they view getting a small forward upgrade as a high enough priority that trading away Jones despite Morant’s absence is a viable option? Do they want to upgrade but view Jones as necessary in the aftermath of Morant’s suspension? Do they already place enough faith in internal options such as Zaire Williams or David Roddy that trading Jones is unnecessary? Can they find an upgrade without trading Jones? Morant’s suspension and how the Grizzlies react to it could be key.