In the span of one 30-second Instagram clip, Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant might have cost himself a shot at NBA redemption.
Morant was seen flashing a gun on a friend’s Instagram Live video on Sunday, after which the Grizzlies immediately suspended the All-NBA guard.
Morant pledged in a March interview that he was “going to show everyone who Ja really is,” but after a limp playoff loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and another controversial video, Memphishas perhaps had enough of Ja, who they picked second overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Morant facing “significant” suspension
Morant‘s actions are set to be thoroughly punished by the NBA, which already levied an eight-game suspension on him during the regular season.
The Grizzlies acted quickly over the weekend to suspend former Rookie of the Year Morant from all team activities. But it remains to be seen what the scope of the league’s investigation will look like. The longest suspensions under commissioner Adam Silver‘s tenure have been for players who have failed drug tests, but Silver has never been afraid to hand down lengthy bans.
Can the Grizzlies win a championship without Morant?
Memphis built an exciting, dynamic, and young core with Morant at its center. But the Grizzlies might now need an alternative plan if Morant is unavailable long-term.
Morant’s All-NBA level play will be missed if he is suspended to start the 2023/24 season.
Memphis can build around talented big man Jaren Jackson, Jr., who was recently named the NBA‘s Defensive Player of the Year and is only one year into a four-year, $105 million contract.
Jackson‘s deal takes up an estimated 20 percent of the Grizzlies’ cap sheet for next season. He also turns 24 next season and appears ready to blossom into an All-NBA center — which the Grizzlies have not had since Marc Gasol in 2015.
Moving off Morant’s contract — which is set to occupy 25 percent of Memphis’ available cap space — can allow the franchise to remove a problematic player and recruit another star-quality guard in his place with the freed-up funds, all while turning the keys over to Jackson.
