Memphis Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman has responded to recent speculation that the team could trade Ja Morant, relaying a clear vision of the organization's plans for their star guard.
“I can’t blame other 'executives' for fantasizing about us trading Ja, but it’s just that—fantasy," he said in a statement to 's Drew Hill. "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.”
While trading young stars is nowhere near a non-starter in the NBA, as seen by the recent trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, it sounds like Kleiman is pretty certain that the Grizzlies won't be shopping the 25-year-old.
Said trade speculation comes from Howard Beck, who claimed earlier this week on his podcast that Morant could be someone to "keep an eye on" in a potential trade this summer:
"I'm constantly checking in with executives around trade deadline about like, 'O.K., what we saw, what we didn't see, what's next,'" he explained. "And in this league, you are always, always, always on the lookout for who's the next wave of stars that are going to get dealt, right? … And somebody out of the blue said, keep an eye on Ja [Morant] this summer. … 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."
Through 54 games this season, Memphis is 36–18 and currently holds the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Morant is scoring just over 20 points per game, but has been in and out of the lineup since October dealing with thigh, hip, back, shoulder, foot, and most recently knee injuries.
The Grizzlies are set to return from the All-Star break on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET, taking on the 30–23 Pacers in Indiana.
