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The Ja Morant trade rumor mill has picked up steam amid his ongoing beef with the Grizzlies coaching staff, headed by Tuomas Iisalo. On Friday, Morant gave an explosive post-game interview following Memphis' 117-112 loss to the Lakers. The star was visibly unimpressed with Iisalo and Co.'s rotation patterns for him in his eight-point performance."Go ask the coaching staff ... go ask them, they had a whole spiel in here," Morant said after a reporter asked him to analyze the loss.He also revealed the coaches' message after the game."According to them, don't play me, honestly," he said. That's what basically the message was after (the game), so, it's cool."Ahead of the Grizzlies' trip to Toronto on Sunday, the franchise suspended Morant for his comments, citing "conduct detrimental to the team."NBA insider Shams Charania reported a major update on Ja Morant potentially demanding a trade, along with the rest of the NBA's perspective on this issue."Teams across the league, though, are monitoring this, keeping an eye on where this relationship stands between Ja Morant and the Grizzlies," he reported on SportsCenter."They want to move on here after today and after he serves this one-game suspension."Listen to Charania's comments from the 1:26 mark below:Memphis fans have shown tremendous love to Morant during his tenure here. While he has dealt with off-court issues, resulting in 32 games served in suspension before Sunday, it's the first time he's had a rift as big as this internally within the team.Ja Morant's trade value is potentially at an all-time lowMorant's trade value may not be at its peak despite the star's undeniable talent and MVP-caliber upside.Since the 2022-23 season, Morant's unavailability has been concerning due to health and suspensions. He has played 120 regular-season games over the past three years out of 246.On the court, Morant's performances have dipped, too. His points per game averages have regressed yearly since the 2021-22 season, when he scored a career-high 27.7 ppg. This year, Morant's putting up 20.8 ppg on a career-low 40.6% shooting.His 3-point shot hasn't improved, which is an essential part of the game in the modern-day NBA, especially for point guards. Morant is a career 31.3% 3-point shooter. He is making only 15.6% of his shots from deep this year.Once an explosive athlete, Ja Morant's finishing at the rim is not where it once was, significantly hindering his offensive prowess.These factors could contribute to Morant having an all-time low trade value. The Grizzlies would hope he moves on from his rift with the coaching staff and excels on the court.So, if they do wish to end the Morant era, they can churn out decent value from the biggest star their franchise has had in recent memory.Also read: 3 Blockbuster Ja Morant Trade Ideas After His Explosive Clash with Grizzlies Coaches
