Anytime a big trade happens, many in the national media are left thinking about what's next. After Luka Doncic was shockingly traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, rumors surfaced that other league executives expected Ja Morant to be the next surprising star to be dealt.
The Grizzlies season ended disappointingly with a first-round loss in a sweep to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which made the noise louder. This was despite their general manager, Zach Kleiman, making a statement on multiple occasions that the team is in good standing with Morant.
Then the Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic, which turned into ESPN's Brian Windhorst and others wondering about Morant's and Jaren Jackson Jr.'s availability on the trade market. ESPNs Tim MacMahon and Tim Bontemps clarified in an interview with Brian Windhorst that Morant is only being traded if he requests to be moved.
However, that hasn't stopped the likes of Stephen A. Smith and others from suggesting the Grizzlies should think otherwise. Ja Morant tweeted about his standing with Memphis after Stephen A. Smith's latest take on the perception of the city and why other stars do not gravitate to join the team.
Ja Morant and Memphis are match made
The Grizzlies' franchise has been mostly successful since moving to Memphis from Vancouver in 2001 with 14 playoff appearances in their 24 seasons since the move. Drafting Ja Morant changed the franchise's fortune in 2019 as he became the first superstar in the team's history.
Morant has embraced the city as his home after growing up in a small town in South Carolina and being overlooked as he played college basketball at Murray State in Kentucky. Despite his trouble and injury-riddled seasons the last couple of seasons, the team and city have stood beside him.
He confirmed that mutual feeling when he tweeted on X (formerly Twitter) that he will be in the 901 (Memphis area code). This came after he mentioned the media using this time to talk negatively about the city of Memphis instead of a great NBA Finals that is ongoing as the Thunder and Pacers enter Game 6 on Thursday.
Memphis Grizzlies fans already knew where Ja stood with the city and team, but it doesn't hurt that he expressed as much amid another teardown of the city's national perception. Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies will remain a tandem for the near future as the team will look to utilize the assets acquired in the Desmond Bane trade to build a contending team around him.