The Memphis Grizzlies entered the 2025-26 season hoping to rebound from a first-round playoff exit with Ja Morant again as the focal point. Since being drafted second overall in 2019, Morant has been the team’s primary offensive catalyst, sustaining star-level production through most of his career.
However, his availability has been a consistent concern; he has never played more than 67 games in a single season and has missed significant time over the past three campaigns due to injuries and suspensions.
In November, Morant suffered a Grade 1 right calf strain in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and was sidelined for three weeks as he recovered. Since then, he has also dealt with a UCL sprain in his left elbow sustained in late January that has kept him off the floor for seven straight games.
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While Morant’s season has been punctuated by stops and starts, he has still managed to average 19.5 points and 8.1 assists in the games he has played, though both his efficiency and shot-making have lagged compared to his peak years. Despite trade rumors, with Memphis reported to be fielding offers for Morant ahead of the deadline, per ESPN’s Shams Charania, no deal materialized, and the Grizzlies retained him as the deadline passed.
After the trade deadline, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman was asked directly whether Morant would play again this season. His response was concise and cautious: “It’s a medical determination” (via Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian).
That phrasing points to an uncertainty surrounding Morant’s recovery timeline as he continues to rehab his elbow and manage the cumulative effects of a season already interrupted by injury.
Memphis has been dismantling a core that made the playoffs in 2022-23. The team traded All-Star forward Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz in a blockbuster deal that brought back draft capital and young assets and earlier Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic before the start of the season.
Morant remains under contract through the 2027-28 season with an extension available this summer.