Man, it wasn’t that long ago Memphis felt like it was on top of the basketball world. Ja Morant was lighting up highlight reels on a nightly basis, Jaren Jackson Jr. was scooping up awards like they were Halloween candy, and the Grizzlies looked like a team built to run the West for years. It wasn’t just hype, either — they had the swagger, the youth, and the pieces to make noise.

For a minute there, they weren’t just fun. They were feared. They had that edge. That grit. That whole “nobody wants to play us” vibe. And just like that, it felt like Memphis had cracked the code. They went from rebuilding to being a legit contender faster than anyone expected.

Now, though, the script has flipped — and fast. The most jarring of these twists? The sudden firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins with just nine games left in the regular season. He was winning games at a higher clip than just about anyone in Grizzlies history, so seeing him let go while the team wasn’t even falling apart had a lot of fans scratching their heads. 

All of these shockwaves have forced everyone to ask the big question: Has Memphis reached a crossroads where they might actually consider parting ways with their marquee star? Trading Ja Morant a couple of years ago would’ve been unthinkable, something you’d only hear in the wildest chatter among bored fans in the offseason. But with the circumstances being what they are — coaching upheaval, questionable public image, and some performance concerns — this so-called “fantasy” trade might be more real than we’d ever imagined.

The Crossroads in Memphis

In the late 2010s, the Grizzlies did what every rebuilding team hopes to do — they actually got their draft picks right. Grabbing Jaren Jackson Jr. in 2018, they then landed Ja Morant with the No. 2 pick a year later. Both were home runs. Ja came in with flash and energy, immediately becoming one of the most exciting players in the league. You couldn’t scroll Twitter without seeing a Morant dunk on someone’s head. And before long, people were tossing his name into MVP talks anytime he got rolling.

Meanwhile, Jackson Jr. quietly snagged a Defensive Player of the Year trophy in 2023, stacked up All-Star selections, and became a lynchpin of Memphis’ frontcourt. All signs pointed to a terrific decade — maybe even a mini-dynasty if the chips fell correctly.

When the Wheels Started Wobbling

Even with all that momentum, things in Memphis started getting weird behind the scenes. You hear stuff like “organizational issues” thrown around — a vague way of saying there might’ve been some drama, disagreements on direction, or just people not seeing eye-to-eye on how to move forward.

That shift seemed to kick off with everything going on off the court with Ja. His issues away from the game have been well documented. The pair of gun-flashing incidents on Instagram Live led to multiple suspensions totaling 33 games.

Then again this year, there was a gun gesture that got him a warning from the NBA, followed by more fallout when Morant busted out that famous gun gesture on the same day he received the warning. 

None of these choices make him look great, and it certainly weighs on an organization’s nerves. Chandler Parsons came out swinging, telling Memphis: 

If I'm the Grizzlies, I do consider a serious look this summer to get off this dude. That's not my franchise player, that's someone with blatant disregard to the situation at hand right now. That's not who I want to invest all this money in.

All of this coming right after the winningest coach in franchise history, Taylor Jenkins, had been shown the door. We all know the NBA is a results-based league, but Jenkins wasn’t exactly losing games left and right. He walked out with a respectable 44-29 record this season. That’s not something you usually associate with a pink slip.

The front office seems to be making a statement: business as usual isn’t cutting it anymore. But where does that leave the team’s cornerstone player, Ja Morant? If the higher-ups are bold enough to remove a successful head coach midseason, you’ve got to wonder what else might be on the table.

On-Court Slumps and Team Fit

Now, even the biggest Morant fans have noticed a concerning dip in his performance. We’re not talking about an epic collapse, but more like the fizz going flat in a soda. He’s shooting below 45% from the field, and his three-point shot is hovering around 29%. For a guy whose athletic brilliance once made him unstoppable, those lesser percentages put a little bit of a damper on his overall impact.

Despite the hype, the Grizzlies have just one playoff series win with Morant leading the charge. We can’t say he hasn’t delivered memorable moments — he has — but at some point, highlight dunks don’t cut it. You’ve got to piece together deeper runs in the postseason.

Exploring Potential Trade Destinations

Don’t let Morant’s turbulence fool you. The league still loves athletic, young point guards with proven star power. Morant is just 25, which in NBA terms means plenty of runway left. Teams who imagine themselves as one piece away from contending might salivate over the idea of harnessing Morant’s explosiveness. And for squads needing a franchise cornerstone, you could do a lot worse than gambling on a guy with MVP potential.

Let’s run through some of the rumored landing spots — and yes, some of these sound downright wild, but that’s part of the fun, right?

1. Houston Rockets

Chandler Parsons specifically called out Houston as a potential fit. The Rockets are knee-deep in young assets and they’ve got loads of draft picks from their various rebuild-era trades. Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, and other promising pieces could be part of a package that entices Memphis. It’s not hard to picture Morant orchestrating a dynamic run-and-gun offense with that young crew. The question is: Would the Rockets want to take on the off-court headaches?

2. Atlanta Hawks

A rumored swap: Trae Young for Ja Morant. According to some, Atlanta may be frustrated with the plateau of their current era, and a fresh star might jolt them out of the rut. Morant would bring a different style — fewer turnovers, a bit more defensive upside — while the Grizzlies could enjoy Trae’s shooting range, distribution, and overall stability. The catch is whether either team truly sees this as the answer.

3. Orlando Magic

Down in Orlando, the Magic have an intriguing core headlined by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Those two are blossoming into cornerstones, but the team’s not certain they have that guard who can orchestrate the offense at a high level. Morant fits that bill, providing unstoppable drives and even more open looks for those talented wings. The proposed trade? Maybe something like Jett Howard, Jonathan Isaac, Cole Anthony, a mix of picks, and so on. It’s a big package, but top-tier talent doesn’t come cheap.

Still, Morant’s three-point woes would cause some spacing headaches. The Magic might also wonder if they’re biting off more drama than they can chew. Still, if they’re convinced Morant’s off-court issues are fixable, it’s a gamble that could catapult Orlando right into the thick of playoff contention.

6. Brooklyn Nets

One theoretical deal floated around includes sending Morant to the Nets in exchange for a host of assets — names like D’Angelo Russell, De’Anthony Melton (fun fact: a former Grizzly), and Cam Thomas, plus multiple future first-round picks. Brooklyn’s been star-hunting for years, without any real results. Adding a young star like Morant might be the perfect pivot after the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving era ended. Meanwhile, Memphis gets more than a few capable pieces, plus precious draft picks. As always, the big question is: do the Nets want to roll the dice on Morant’s potential baggage?

Public Denials, Private Decisions

Zach Kleiman, the Grizzlies’ GM, hasn’t minced words. He waved off trade speculation as pure fantasy, basically telling other executives to keep dreaming. That’s normal for GMs, though. They almost never outright say, “We’re shopping our star.” If they did, it’d devalue their trade leverage.

One Western Conference GM reportedly believed Memphis would be forced into dealing Morant this offseason. That’s no small claim. Kendrick Perkins even chimed in, suggesting that with Taylor Jenkins fired, Morant is now “auditioning” for the top brass. 

There’s certainly smoke here, and where there’s smoke, there’s usually at least some embers burning.

Trade or Trust?

Some fans might argue Morant is too talented to let go. After all, he’s still a breathtaking athlete and can take over a game in a heartbeat. He’s put Memphis on the national map in a way that’s invaluable from a marketing perspective. He’s popular in the community, and the city identifies with his underdog swagger. But sometimes, a franchise has to make tough decisions to avoid longer-term regrets.

A trade might not be the doom-and-gloom scenario it sounds like. If Morant can get a new environment with fewer distractions and he can refocus on his craft, we might see him back in that top-five conversation. Meanwhile, Memphis could snag a bucket load of talent and resources to build around Jaren Jackson Jr. or pivot into another rebuild. 

And if done right, that retooling doesn’t have to take forever. We’ve already seen Memphis do it once — drafting Ja and JJJ in back-to-back years and quickly going from rebuilding to relevant.

If the Grizzlies really do pick up the phone and explore deals for Morant, it’ll be a league-shaking move. Nobody wants to see a fan favorite leave. But remember, the NBA is a business. Teams have to weigh potential franchise icons against the baggage they bring. Right now, for Memphis, the baggage is looking heavier than it once did.

Will they actually pull the trigger? Only time will tell. We’ve seen front offices talk a tough game before, only to backpedal once negotiations started. Morant is still electrifying and young enough that he might just need one good spark to get back to being unstoppable. 

But the pressure in Memphis is palpable: they’ve parted with a winning coach, they’re floundering in the standings, and they’ve got fans expecting playoff success now, not years down the road.

So here we are, at the crossroads. Stay or go, the Grizzlies’ future hinges on the next big decision: whether to stay loyal to an undeniably talented but increasingly controversial star, or to send him packing in pursuit of a fresh start for everyone. Either way, this moment will define the trajectory of the Memphis Grizzlies for years to come.