Grizzlies GM Emphatically Shuts Down Ja Morant Trade Rumors, Calls Them 'Fantasy'

Many general managers around the NBA would choose not to address trade rumors, certainly not trade rumors involving the face of their franchise, but Memphis Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman doesn't roll that way. The former NBA Executive of the Year committed to a future with Ja Morant in Memphis and did so in an emphatic fashion.

Earlier in the week, Howard Beck of The Ringer shared that he had recently spoken to an unnamed league executive who happened to mention that Morant's name would be one to keep an eye on in terms of potentially landing on the trade block this offseason. 

"Somebody out of the blue said, keep an eye on Ja [Morant] this summer," the unnamed executive reportedly said. "I'm just saying it's one of those things I'm just kind of keeping an eye on if they were to flame out early," they continued, referring to a potentially early playoff exit for the Grizzlies.

Morant is still just 25 and, when healthy, plays at a certified superstar level while also filling the seats inside Memphis' FedEx Forum. 

One could say the exact same thing for 25-year-old Luka Doncic, who the Dallas Mavericks stunningly traded earlier this month, insinuating that nothing is off limits in today's NBA.

Well, according to Kleiman, trading Morant actually is off limits. He actually called the rumor of trading Morant out of Memphis a complete fantasy.

Grizzlies' GM Zach Kleiman emphatically shut down the recent trade rumors involving Ja Morant. Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

"I can’t blame other "executives" for fantasizing about us trading Ja. But it’s just that - fantasy," Kleiman told Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian. 

"We are not trading Ja. Continue to underestimate Ja, this team and this city, and we will let our performance on the floor speak for itself. I’m not going to give this nonsense further oxygen and look forward to getting back to basketball."

Morant's current contract runs through the 2027-28 season, when he will carry a cap hit of nearly $45 million. Jaren Jackson Jr., arguably one of the most underrated players in the league, has a contract expiring at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, and Memphis will have some important choices to make between now and then.

Someone else to keep an eye on in Memphis this offseason is head coach Taylor Jenkins. If the Grizzlies were to get bounced in the first round of the playoffs for a second time in three years after missing the postseason a year ago, it wouldn't be a surprise to start hearing very real frustration in Memphis.

Since taking over in Memphis ahead of the 2019 season, Jenkins has led the Grizz to the playoffs in three out of five seasons, posting a postseason record of 9-14 along the way.