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The Memphis Grizzlies traded Jaren Jackson Jr. in a blockbuster deal at the deadline, but held on to disgruntled guard Ja Morant. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, it’s no surprise that the out-of-favor Morant is staying put.

On “Get Up,” Windhorst explained that the former All-Star guard was perceived to have “negative value” among NBA teams. That means the Grizzlies not only couldn’t get a strong return for Morant, but they’d have to throw in draft picks just to get another team to take him.

Ja Morant’s shocking decline has hurt his value

At his peak, Ja Morant averaged 27.4 points, won Most Improved Player and finished seventh in MVP voting in 2022 as his Grizzlies reached the second round of the playoffs. Then Morant got injured during that series. Before the next season, Morant signed a five-year extension worth $231M.

That’s when Morant’s troubles began. He was sued for allegedly assaulting a teenager. He and his entourage had a troubling confrontation with the Indiana Pacers. Then Morant was suspended after he went live on Instagram holding a gun. Later, Morante drew a 25-game NBA suspension for brandishing a gun in another video.

Morant returned from suspension in Dec. 2023, but suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in practice three weeks later, after playing in nine games. He missed 32 games with various injuries in 2024-25, while his scoring declined from 26.2 to 23.2 points per game. Perhaps due to injuries, Morant hasn’t shot above 31 percent on three-pointers in four seasons, while his rebounds and free-throw attempts have declined.