Former Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay spoke about whether the Memphis Grizzlies should keep or trade Ja Morant.
Former Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay believes the franchise has no path to contention if Ja Morant is traded.
The Grizzlies are widely expected to trade Morant this offseason.
"When you talk about path to contention, I think there's no path without Ja for this team," Gay told Yahoo Sports. "He's the heart and soul of this team right now. I think his health and his availability is really important to the franchise moving forward.
"Now whether they choose to move forward with him, it'll have to be for something special because Ja is a special player. So you know, if I'm a businessman, I'm gonna want something in return that can do exactly what he does or better. So if you can't find that you have to ride with Ja and try to help him become as available as possible and run with it and try to do something around him cause he's that great."
In 20 games for Memphis this season, Morant averaged 19.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 8.1 assists per contest while shooting 41.0% from the field, 23.5% from beyond the arc and 89.7% from the free-throw line.
The 2019-20 Rookie of the Year, Morant has led the Grizzlies to the second round of the playoffs just once. That was back in 2022.
Morant has career averages of 22.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. According to ESPN, Morant has told people that he's done playing for the Grizzlies, who selected the guard with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Murray State.
A two-time All-Star, Morant still hasn't gotten over the Grizzlies suspending him earlier this season for conduct detrimental to the team.
"Morant still hasn't gotten over the suspension, multiple league sources said, because he felt alienated by teammates, who were told to leave the star guard alone so he could work through the issues that had led to the suspension. In the aftermath, Morant told players around the league and some of his former coaches that he isn't playing for Memphis anymore, sources said," ESPN wrote.
It will be intriguing to see where Morant is playing next season. He's been linked to the Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings in trade rumors.
Morant will make $42.1 million next season and $44 million in the 2027-28 season, the final year of his contract. The 26-year-old doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract, so he can't control where the Grizzlies trade him this offseason.
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