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The Memphis Grizzlies and franchise star Ja Morant reached a new breaking point after a 117-112 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 31. Morant was visibly frustrated speaking with reporters after the game, repeatedly deflecting questions with "go ask the coaching staff," and the Grizzlies subsequently suspended him one game for "conduct detrimental to the team." Morant scored eight points (season low) on 3 for 14 shooting that night and looked disengaged throughout the game. On Monday, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green gave his take on the situation and Morant's future with the Grizzlies. "When I saw his comments, I found them interesting, but all they did was confirm to me what I was watching," Green said on The Draymond Green Show. "When we got on that plane, I was telling Steph (Curry), like, 'Man, Ja ain't in it at all. It looked like something happened. Like, Ja — it ain't Ja.' And Steph was like, 'Quiet protest going on, huh?' I was like, 'That's what it looked like.' And then, obviously, after the game we saw the comments, and I was like, 'Yep.'" "This leaves you in a space of — is this the beginning of the end? — and it takes you back to Taylor Jenkins getting fired and them hiring an assistant, just bumping the assistant coach up. When you looked at their team — Jaren (Jackson Jr.), Ja, and those guys — I think they rocked with Taylor Jenkins. I truly, in my heart, believe that they rocked with Taylor Jenkins," Green added. "So if that's the case and you just up and fire them, you're almost signaling to Ja and possibly Jaren that you really don't give a damn what they think about who's coaching them." "They're showing you they don't care what you think. And usually, when they show stars that they don't care what you think, the next move is usually you." Read More: Steph Curry Sends Clear Message to Warriors After Pacers Collapse The Grizzlies' decision to part ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins on Mar. 28, 2025 — one of the more surprising mid-season firings around the playoff window — and to promote assistant Tuomas Iisalo has been widely critiqued for timing and process. At the time of the firing, Memphis was 44-29 and sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference with nine games left before the playoffs. The team finished 48-34 and was swept in the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder. After the decision, star forward Jaren Jackson Jr. called Jenkins "my dog" and said the firing was "surprising," while Morant said, "It's tough for me... Everything I've done in a Grizzlies jersey has been under him." Jenkins had been Memphis' head coach since the 2019-2020 NBA season and was the fifth-longest tenured coach in the league. Read More: Lakers’ Austin Reaves Believes He Pulled Off NBA First With Bronny James With tension seemingly at an all-time high, other teams are reportedly monitoring the situation closely, filing Memphis and Morant as potential trade targets if the relationship continues to deteriorate. This is a huge moment for the Grizzlies. The franchise is built around two young stars, Morant and Jackson Jr., and now must choose between pushing to win immediately and protecting the team’s culture. Morant’s postgame comments and the team’s immediate one-game suspension exposed how fragile the situation really is.
