A few seasons ago, the Grizzlies rallied behind Ja Morant. His leadership led the team to a second-seed finish, and they were touted as future contenders. Since then, almost everything has been uprooted. Now, friction exists between Morant and the new head coach, Tuomas Iisalo. The cornerstone visibly put the coaching staff under the bus after losing to the Lakers, earning a suspension.

It follows a pattern of Morant’s behavioral issues affecting the Grizzlies. It’s become hard to envision such a situation being repaired. And it’s brought one conclusion to the front. “If you can’t hold Ja accountable, you have zero chance. Now, you might argue you have zero chance to dictate what the culture is going to be as long as Ja’s on the roster,” Tim MacMahon said on Hoop Collective.

As of right now, the Grizzlies aren’t thinking about the trade. But analysts have seen some signs of the franchise’s trust in the electric guard slowly slipping.

“This comes on the heels of a summer where there were no discussions about a Ja Morant extension, you know, unlike Jaren Jackson Jr., where he got one the second that they could possibly give it to him. And there’s been a lot of talk within the league about, hey, the Grizzlies are building this thing around Jaren Jackson Jr.,” MacMahon further added.

Iisalo, who comes from a background of coaching in Europe, doesn’t see the issue boiling over further. He is prepared to see Ja Morant return and ‘move on’ from the spat. But it’s the player’s reaction that will dictate the situation. Morant hasn’t issued a statement nor publicly apologized yet for his outburst following a confrontation with Iisalo in front of the entire team.

Ultimately, his silence has brought about a range of trade rumors. However, navigating those isn’t easy for the Grizzlies either.

Trading Ja Morant is vital but not easy

Tim MacMahon and his Hoop Collective colleagues don’t feel Morant’s punishment came after just a single instance. They feel the Grizzlies have been ‘hesitant’ to call out their ace in the past. With such accumulated tension in the building, growing as a franchise becomes improbable. That’s where trading Ja Morant becomes a solution.

Tim Bontemps feels it’s necessary to do it right now to avoid a prolonged rebuild.

“If they do do this right now, they have this Suns pick coming… But the Suns are going to be in the lottery. If the Grizzlies are in the lottery and you get two lottery picks in this draft to go with Coward, to go with these other young guys, you can at least pretty quickly start to go back in the other direction,” he said.

However, it’s not as simple. MacMahon made sure to point out just why. Firstly, the Grizzlies’ fanbase adore Ja Morant. Aside from being a superstar, he is also a draw who generates millions in revenue. The Grizzlies wouldn’t want to become the new Nico Harrision in this case. Other than that, finding a trade partner becomes challenging.

Ja Morant has had a history of running into trouble. This is the third consecutive season that the 26-year-old has received a suspension. Likewise, financially, his appeal around the league isn’t the same anymore. The Grizzlies could have to settle at a discounted price from when Morant’s demands were at their peak. And in doing so, they lose a player with astronomical talent who has proven he can do wonders with the team.

The best hope is that Morant and Iisalo sort out their differences. Despite injury concerns, Ja Morant has looked healthy. Although not producing as much lately, it doesn’t take long for a player of his caliber to pick up the rhythm.

How do you think the Grizzlies should navigate this situation? Let us know your views in the comments below.