Ja Morant is fortunate overall to have only gotten the punishment that he did, but he will still be a good amount lighter in the pocket as a result.
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus reports this week that the NBA’s eight-game suspension for the Memphis Grizzlies star Morant will ultimately cost him $668,639. Pincus notes that the NBA fines players 1/145th of their season salary for each game they are suspended. Morant is making about $12.1 million this season, which accounts for the figure that Pincus shared.
The All-Star guard Morant was suspended over a video of him flashing a gun on Instagram Live while at a Denver-area strip club (see here). Photos of Morant’s extravagant strip club visit have since been released as well.
The good news for Morant is that he got credit for the games that he had already been away from the Grizzlies for (which means Morant only has two games left of his suspension to serve). But the bad news is that Morant could indirectly lose close to $40 million if the suspension costs him a spot on the All-NBA team (he has played 53 games this season and will only be able to play in an absolute maximum of 65).
With news that Ja Morant has entered counseling in Florida, it's hard to imagine him making All-NBA, which I think would have been likely without these incidents. Not making All-NBA would cost him about $39 million, reducing his contract from a projected 5/$233m to 5/$194m
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) March 14, 2023
The 23-year-old Morant spoke on the gun incident in an interview this week. While the lost money hurts, he should chalk it up as a lesson and be thankful that he is getting a second chance.
