Ja Morant’s list of potential destinations appears to be dwindling again.
The Phoenix Suns will not be entertaining the possibility of trading for the Memphis Grizzlies star Morant this summer, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported on Tuesday. Siegel notes that Morant is “not an option” for the Suns heading into the offseason.
Morant’s relationship with the Grizzlies appears to have run its course. He was suspended by the team this season after confronting team head coach Tuomas Iisalo, and Memphis then proceeded to initiate a full-fledged rebuild in February by trading away former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. (a move that Morant openly spoke out against).
At 26 years old, Morant is a two-time NBA All-Star as well as a former All-NBA selection. But he has lost much of his luster these days, especially after appearing in just 79 total games over the last three seasons combined due to various injuries.
That said, Morant still has some appeal as a reclamation project. He posted 19.5 points and 8.1 assists per game this season when healthy and only has two more guaranteed years left under contract (meaning that a team could give Morant a one-year trial run and then easily flip him as an expiring contract next summer if he does not pan out).
Phoenix, a team that surprisingly went 45-37 this season without a starting-caliber true point guard on the roster, had previously been linked to Morant in trade rumors. But with the Suns now bowing out of the race for the mercurial point guard, there could still be at least one intriguing Morant suitor left out there.
