Morant dismisses Knicks fan's plea while Grizzlies grapple with losses, locker room tension, and speculation about his future.
Ja Morant had little interest in a fan’s courtside recruitment effort in New York, offering a brief response that underscored the Memphis Grizzlies’ unsettled start to the season.
A TikTok video posted Tuesday night showed a fan calling out to Morant as he walked into the tunnel at Madison Square Garden following a 133-120 loss to the Knicks. The fan urged the All-Star guard to “come to New York.” Morant didn’t slow down.
“I’m cool,” he said.
The remark came at a time when the Grizzlies are confronting on-court struggles, internal tension and rising questions about Morant’s future. Memphis fell to 4-8 with Tuesday’s defeat, its third straight on the road, while New York improved to 7-0 at home behind another strong performance from Jalen Brunson.
Morant finished with 16 points on 4-for-14 shooting, continuing a difficult stretch that has defined the early part of his season. He went 3-for-18 in Sunday’s loss to Oklahoma City and has yet to find rhythm under first-year head coach Tuomas Iisalo. Through 11 games, Morant is averaging 18.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 8.1 assists, but his shooting efficiency has dipped sharply.
His performance woes have overlapped with organizational friction. Morant was suspended for one game on Nov. 2 for what the team described as “conduct detrimental to the Grizzlies” after a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. ESPN later reported the punishment stemmed from his response to Iisalo challenging his leadership and effort in the locker room.
When asked after returning from the suspension whether he still had joy playing the game, Morant gave a blunt answer.
“No,” he said.
That comment, combined with the team’s slow start, has fueled speculation about whether Memphis could explore moving its franchise player before the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Morant is under contract for two more seasons after 2025-26 and has averaged at least 23 points in each of the last four years, but he has also missed significant time due to injuries and disciplinary issues.
ESPN reported last week that while Morant is still “viewed as a borderline top-10” point guard, the market for high-level starters at his position is limited. The network also noted Morant’s longstanding popularity in Memphis, a market not typically associated with attracting free agents, and a place Morant has repeatedly said he wants to remain.
That commitment may explain why he brushed off the Knicks fan’s plea despite the Grizzlies’ struggles and the noise around his future.
Morant did not play Wednesday night in Boston after suffering a right ankle injury in the loss to New York. Without him, the Grizzlies were overmatched in a 131-95 defeat to the Celtics, who hit 21 3-pointers and never trailed. Memphis shot 34% from the field, was outrebounded 58-41 and allowed 34 second-chance points. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 18 points, and Santi Aldama added 14.
It was the seventh loss in eight games for Memphis, which continues a road trip Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.