With the trade deadline only two weeks away, many fans are wondering what the Memphis Grizzlies will do with their star, Ja Morant , after months of trade drama seemingly boiled over last week in Berlin, when he was recorded having a heated exchange with teammate Vince Williams.
All signs point to the Grizzlies and Morant heading for a swift divorce. However, the latter quickly calmed things down after the video leaked, showing his worth in their next game against the Orlando Magic in the United Kingdom. He scored a game-high 24 points with 13 assists to lead Memphis to a 126-109 victory.
Morant had a similar performance three days later in a 124-122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks — he finished with 23 points and 12 assists — but suffered a UCL sprain in his elbow.
Many fans see the injury as a major blow to Morant's trade stock. After all, he has already missed 24 games this season and has struggled to remain healthy in recent years. But for Draymond Green , it should not prevent already-interested teams from trading for the 26-year-old.
"Obviously, everybody already knows who Ja Morant is, and so if you were going to trade for him, I don't think a sprained UCL is changing that," Green said .
"If anything that the injury does is just may make someone who was going to trade for him a little more hesitant because you're like, 'Ah, man, there's another injury,'" he added. "But like I said, we all know who Ja Morant is and what he's capable of."
There is still a strong possibility, however, that the Grizzlies keep Morant, despite many reports that they have been shopping him around for quite some time now. He himself has expressed his love for Memphis and his desire to stay with the Grizzlies.
Morant has been labeled immature in recent years, mainly due to off-court controversies, but his response was surprisingly mature, which might even increase his appeal to teams.
This is also why Green took his time to praise Morant for how he handled the whole trade saga so far — no mysterious tweets, just affirmation.
"Ja Morant has a back-against-the-wall mentality, so when you feel like someone's up against you, with that mentality, your first reaction is fighting back. Stand tall, 'Imma stand on my own 10 toes.' But a very mature response by Ja," said Green.
"I know Ja Morant loves Memphis. Ja Morant embraced Memphis, the city of Memphis embraced Ja," he added. "But the first time your name comes up in something like that, you can get a little upset and emotional about it and respond emotionally. Ja handled that very well. So I tip my hat to how he handled that."
Fans will have to wait and see how things play out between Morant and the Grizzlies . Reports have surfaced that his trade stock has dropped since his injury, and that Memphis is asking a high price, but one team remains interested in landing the star: the Brooklyn Nets .
Grizzlies beat reporter Chris Dodson recently revealed that the Nets, who are eager to steal the spotlight of their cross-town rivals, the New York Knicks , are still interested and have the pieces necessary to nab Morant. Whether or not he finds himself on a team after the trade deadline remains to be seen.
Morant is having a down year, but he is still one of the best young guards in the league, which is why the trade talks will never truly die down until the Grizzlies decide to do something — or nothing — about it.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
