The Memphis Grizzlies’ 2025–26 campaign was a major disappointment, finishing 25–57 and sitting 13th in the Western Conference after entering the season with playoff expectations and a reshuffled roster that never found traction.
On Monday, that turbulent season took another telling turn.
Ja Morant declined to speak at the Grizzlies’ exit interviews, immediately intensifying speculation about his future in Memphis amid months of trade rumors and internal uncertainty.
The silence lands at a moment when tensions between the franchise and its franchise guard have already been under a microscope, with Morant’s availability, consistency, and long-term fit all questioned throughout the year.
Now, fans are reading his decision as a clear signal that his time in Memphis may already be over.
“Ja skipping exit interviews with Grizzlies shows tension. Man’s not showing up. That’s the statement energy right there,” one user wrote.
“I hope he thrives on a better team. This has been a weird end to his Grizzlies tenure,” another commented.
“Please go somewhere where they’ll support you goat this hurts my heart 💔💔,” another added.
“Players skip exit interviews when they have nothing good to say 👀 Ja Morant and the Grizzlies situation is about to get very interesting 🏀,” one other fan replied.
“Don’t blame him, they disrespected him,” another commented.
“Smh man, they bogus how they treating Ja,” another posted.
Since being selected No. 2 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Murray State, Morant has evolved into one of the league’s most electrifying (and divisive) guards.
A two-time All-Star and the 2020 Rookie of the Year, he quickly became the face of the Grizzlies’ rise, pairing jaw-dropping athleticism with elite playmaking.
Over his seven-year NBA career, he has averaged 22.4 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game, stacking signature moments, from game-winners to poster dunks, that put Memphis on the map.
But the 2025–26 season told a very different story.
Morant was limited by injury and inconsistency, appearing in only 20 games while averaging 19.5 points (his lowest output since the 2020-21 season) and 8.1 assists on a career-low 41% shooting from the field.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, collapsed.
That drop-off is exactly why trade speculation has surged for months.
Between injuries, missed time, reported internal tension, and Memphis’ broader roster instability, rival executives have quietly questioned whether the franchise can still build a sustainable contender around him.
Add in a massive long-term contract that has him locked in until 2028, and fluctuating availability, and Morant has become one of the league’s most polarizing debates.