Point guard Ja Morant, who sprained the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left elbow on January 21, continues to experience discomfort in his elbow, the Grizzlies announced in a press release (Twitter link).
According to the team, Morant underwent follow-up imaging on Wednesday, which revealed incomplete healing of his injury. He’s out at least two more weeks, which is the next time he’ll be reevaluated.
Morant has appeared in just 20 games this season and has only been available three times since the start of the new year. Memphis is currently 23-38, six games out of the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.
Morant was one of the top names on the trade market heading into February’s deadline and was reportedly surprised that he didn’t get moved. That was partially due to his lack of availability, as he’s been limited to 79 total games over the past three seasons. His contract also factored in, as teams were reluctant to take on an unreliable player who’s owed $42.4MM and $44.9MM during the next two years.
The 26-year-old’s production has been declining as well. In his 20 appearances this season, the former All-NBA selection has averaged 19.5 points, 8.1 assists (3.6 turnovers), 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 28.5 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .410/.235/.897.
Memphis is expected to resume its search for a Morant trade this summer, but the return may be limited given the aforementioned factors. The Grizzlies reportedly talked to Miami, Minnesota, Sacramento, and Milwaukee about Morant deals prior to the deadline.
Between his unavailability and his attitude, Morant’s contract currently has to be considered among the worst in the NBA.
Not very many guys who have a history of putting up All-NBA stats that are on the block. When you compare Bridges getting 5 picks or Bane getting 4 picks, landing Ja for a pick and a half essentially isn’t the worst proposition. Especially for a team with nothing to lose…
Yeah, but if you trade for him and he only suits up for 40 games over the next 2 years, then you’ve flushed $87M of your cap on a guy who didn’t bring you closer to winning and might just kill your brand by discharging a weapon in the middle of a shopping mall.
Surreeee keep pushing it out 2 weeks till season end.