The Memphis Grizzlies are clearly entering a period of change. Last week they fired longtime head coach Taylor Jenkins, and now they have a decision to make about star point guard Ja Morant.
While Morant's off-court escapades seem to have stopped, he remains a question mark in the lineup. Morant returned from suspension last season only to suffer a season-ending injury in January. After recovering from shoulder surgery, Morant has missed another 30 games this season.
ESPN's Kendrick Perkins thinks all these factors combined mean that Morant is now auditioning for his next team.
.@KendrickPerkins weighs in on Ja Morant's future with the Grizzlies 😳
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 31, 2025
"At this point, Ja Morant is auditioning." pic.twitter.com/d9mLOGHPRT
“At this point Ja Morant is auditioning," said Perkins. "If you look at the firing of Taylor Jenkins, this came from the front office because they couldn’t see eye-to-eye as far as Taylor Jenkins wanted to run his own offense. And so all of a sudden you have a front office, B.C., that hired his coaching staff, right? Which Memphis had one of the best offensive teams in the league, but they run the least pick and rolls in the league, right? Ja Morant thrives better in what—when he has the ball in his hands.”
“This firing also shows me we don’t care what you think, Ja,” Perkins said. “So I think from this point forward, Ja Morant is auditioning. Bobby, you can correct me if I’m wrong, but this summer he’s eligible for a contract extension that can probably touch $300 million.”
Bobby Marks then explained Morant is eligible for a two-year, $125 million contract extension, which still sounds like a lot considering Morant’s track record. Marks also pointed out that after the Luka Doncic trade, it’s clear there aren’t as many untouchable players in the NBA as previously thought.
After this season, Morant will have three years and more than $120 million remaining on his current deal. Considering how many games he's missed in his career and the fact that Memphis has only one won playoff series in the Morant era, it would make sense if they were at least considering moving on.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kendrick Perkins Says Ja Morant Is Now Auditioning for Other Teams.
