‘Make Them Pay’: Kendrick Perkins Has a Message for Ja Morant Before Grizzlies Game

Kendrick Perkins told Ja Morant on ESPN to make the Memphis Grizzlies pay. Morant gets his first shot at them Thursday night in Portland, four months to the day after Memphis traded him.

The clip went up on ESPN’s NBA account on X at 3:02 p.m. CT, just under six hours before tip-off at Moda Center. Memphis is 4-0. The Portland Trail Blazers are 3-0.

Perkins said the Grizzlies quit on Morant over what he was bringing to the table.

“If I’m Ja, I’m gonna make the Grizzlies smell my cologne,” Perkins said. “It’s a Miyake, a Bond No. 9. Hey Ja, listen, this organization gave up on you when you was at your lowest point.”

“They said, you know what, we can’t even deal with it,” Perkins continued. “You’re not good enough for us to continue to deal with everything and the baggage that you was bringing to the table at the time. So now you make them pay.”

Morant spent eight minutes with reporters at Portland’s practice facility Wednesday and said he holds no grudge against the Grizzlies.

Memphis picked Morant out of Murray State with the second pick in 2019 and traded him June 29 for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray.

Morant played 20 games in 2025-26, his final season there. He averaged 19.5 points and 8.1 assists, and he shot 41.0% from the field and 23.5% from 3-point range, both career lows.

Morant hurt his left elbow in a Jan. 21 game and never played for Memphis again. The team ruled him out for the rest of the season with a sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament.

Before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, Memphis shopped Morant and found little interest. He appeared in 79 games over his final three seasons with the franchise, a stretch that included a 25-game NBA suspension in 2023-24 and a one-game team suspension in November 2025.

Morant is owed $42.2 million this season and $44.9 million in 2027-28. He can become an unrestricted free agent in 2028.

Through three games with the Trail Blazers, all wins, Morant is averaging 16.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. He has made 20 of his 34 shots.

Phoenix came first. Morant had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists in a 124-83 home win over the Suns on Oct. 21, and two nights later he finished with 12 points and 7 assists in a 128-120 victory at the Sacramento Kings.

Tuesday was his best scoring night. Morant went 9-of-13 for 23 points as Portland won 136-129 at the Los Angeles Lakers.

Perkins said Morant has help in Portland, and he named three teammates who provide it.

“See, it’s not like Ja is going back to Memphis,” Perkins explained. “That’s a different story because now emotions come in play.”

“But now you come into Portland and y’all playing well,” Perkins added. “And you got some hitters with you. You got Dame and Jrue and Deni. You got some hitters with you. You go out there and make them people smell your cologne tonight.”

Damian Lillard missed all of 2025-26 while rehabbing a torn Achilles. Since coming back, he has scored 25, 19, and 21 points.

Deni Avdija is averaging 22.3 points, including 26 at Sacramento. Against the Lakers, Jrue Holiday scored 22 on 8-of-12 shooting.

Portland has put up 124, 128, and 136 points in its three games.

Memphis finished 25-57 last season.

With Morant gone, Ty Jerome has taken over as the primary ball handler. On Monday, he won Western Conference Player of the Week honors after averaging 34.7 points over the first three games.

Cameron Boozer, the third overall pick in June, had 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in Monday’s 110-105 win at the Utah Jazz.

Thursday closes a four-game trip for Memphis, which won at the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento, and Utah on the first three stops.

Memphis is home Saturday against Sacramento, with tip-off at 7 p.m. CT.