The Memphis Grizzlies blew a 14-point halftime lead and watched Luka Doncic return with a 44-point night to secure a 117-112 Los Angeles Lakers win on Friday at FedEx Forum.
On the court, Doncic dominated in his return from a three-game absence (44 points, 12 rebounds, six assists), while Memphis got 16 points and seven rebounds from Jaylen Wells and 16 points and five rebounds from Jock Landale.
However, franchise superstar Ja Morant finished with a season-low eight points on 3-of-14 shooting with seven assists in 31 minutes.
After the game, Morant repeatedly deflected questions about his performance to “the coaching staff” — including when asked whether he could have done anything differently and whether he should have played more.
A reporter asked: “What could have been done differently to get a different outcome, other than asking the coaching staff?”
“According to them, probably don’t play me, honestly,” Morant replied. “That’s basically what the message was after, so it’s cool.”
Another reporter asked: “You didn’t have anything physically wrong in terms of illness or anything?”
“No, I’m fine,” Morant responded.
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Through the first six games of the 2025-26 NBA season, Morant is averaging 20.8 points, 6.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 28.5 minutes per game, shooting just 40.6% from the field and 15.6% from deep.
While he remains a high-usage, high-impact player when healthy, his numbers this year are all down from his career averages and availability remains a concern; he appeared in just 59 contests the last two seasons.
More worrisome, however, is how disengaged Morant has looked at times, as noted by former NBA star Blake Griffin on Friday after the Lakers’ loss.
“I didn’t love what I saw from Ja Morant tonight,” Griffin said on Amazon Prime’s postgame show. “For a guy that’s making $40 million and needs to be the leader of this team, like, I just don’t love it. I don’t know if he was not feeling well, if he’s hurt, but that, to me, is a very bad sign, and it’s something that has to change.
“The Memphis Grizzlies will only go as far as Ja Morant takes them. And when he’s engaged, I mean, we’ve seen it. He’s unbelievable. He’s an all-world talent. But that type of effort right there, that’s the thing that we will call out.”
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The rumors around trades aren’t new. Since Memphis reshaped its roster in the offseason, including sending Morant’s backcourt mate, Desmond Bane, to the Orlando Magic, analysts have floated possible Morant landing spots around.
Potential suitors include the Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, and Miami Heat; all competitive teams with legitimate playoff windows that could use an All-NBA level guard to boost the offense.
However, Morant is currently under a five-year, $197.2 million contract that runs through 2028 and carries significant cap hits in the coming seasons (Spotrac lists the 2025-26 cap hit at $39.4 million), making a trade both costly and delicate for any team interested in acquiring Morant.
In the weeks ahead, expect more probing questions, ongoing trade chatter, and a front office that must choose between repairing or rebuilding.