Ja Morant’s season has been clouded by uncertainty. A calf injury has sidelined him since November 15th with no clear return date, while tension with the coaching staff, especially head coach Tuomas Iisalo, has added another layer of doubt. Yet despite the injuries and friction, Morant somehow remains the center of the Memphis Grizzlies’ plans, illustrating just how vital he is to the franchise.

“He’s a coach right now,” his teammate Jaren Jackson Jr. said about Morant, who has been dealing with a Grade 1 calf strain. “He’s coaching, just like he does with ‘Twelve-Time’ in AAU (Morant’s Memphis-based program). He’s doing his thing, knows the game. He’s a point guard. So they kind of see the floor very well. And he just says what he’s seeing, talking us through things.”

If you’ve been watching any Grizzlies games as of late, you might’ve seen the point guard in street clothes trying to advise his teammates. In fact, there’s a good chance you might’ve even seen Ja Morant hyping young players like center Zach Edey. Even though the 26-year-old was nothing short of terrible before his injury, his impact from courtside has been immense.

To note, Memphis has had a massive turnaround, winning five of its last six games, including three straight dubs against Sacramento, the LA Clippers, and New Orleans. And a lot of this recent success has to do with Ja Morant, who has been gelling quite well with his team and extending his helping hand. So much so that even Tuomas Iisalo thinks that this is a huge advantage.

“It’s a huge advantage for us,” the Grizzlies head coach said, appreciating Morant’s presence on the sidelines and sending a strong message to the front office. “It’s during the games. He’s asking stuff of me and giving some tips there for the guys. Overall, really good communication, really good leadership, both from him and also from Jaren (Jackson Jr.) and our veteran guys.”

While it seems like the two-time All-Star is finally settling in his new role with the newly appointed coaching staff, that might not be the whole truth. That’s because even though Ja Morant seems to be on the same page with the locker room, his future is still very much in the air before the February trade deadline.

Ja Morant is still a target for many teams

Ja Morant’s future in Memphis is still very much up in the air, despite his teammates and coaches suggesting that his presence on the sidelines in recent weeks has been phenomenal. That’s because the Memphis Grizzlies are reportedly willing to ship the 26-year-old guard for the right value, and several teams might be ready to offer a deal.

“Teams such as Sacramento and the Minnesota Timberwolves (and likely many more) that were known to be monitoring the situation before will continue to do so, all while watching closely when Ja Morant returns (his initial timeline had him slated for a possible early December return),” The Athletic’s Sam Amick wrote.

According to Amick, teams like the Timberwolves and the Kings haven’t given up on the possibility of landing Morant. Even though the point guard has just played 12 games this season and averaged 17.9 points while shooting just 35.9 percent from the field, these teams see a lot of upside within him. And if they can provide the right value, even the Grizzlies might find it hard to say no.

The star guard has been hugely linked with Minnesota, which is seemingly looking for a high-profile guard to pair up with Anthony Edwards in their backcourt. While the thought of seeing Ant and Morant together on the floor might give many goosebumps, it won’t be an easy trade for the Wolves, who lack draft capital.

Nonetheless, Morant’s trade situation will be something to keep a close eye on in the coming weeks. More so, because as mentioned, he is nearing a comeback from his calf injury, and if he’s able to get back in his groove right away, his trade stock might see a huge spike as the February trade deadline approaches.