Grizzlies Approaching Deadline For Major Ja Morant Decision

Highlighted by ESPN's Bobby Marks in a recent article, Morant recently became extension eligible at the start of October, with the window for an extension closing on October 20th. While he's only set to begin the third year of his $197 million rookie extension, Morant can still extend two more years at a total of $128.4 million.

It's a similar situation to that of Joel Embiid, who added two years and a player option on top of his four-year, $213 million deal, despite entering just the second year of his deal.

In addition to this extension eligibility, it's important to note that Morant recently parted ways with Lift Sports Management, an agency led by former Grizzlies wing Mike Miller.

Should Memphis Extend Morant?

Given Morant has played just 59 games over the last two seasons and still has three years remaining till he could enter free agency, there's really no reason for the Grizzlies to extend Morant two more seasons right now.

While there is the argument that Memphis is a small market and retaining Morant for the long term could be a concern if he isn't extended before the season, the reality is the Grizzlies don't know what their team could look like by the end of the 2027-28 season when Morant's deal is up.

Holding the Orlando Magic's first-round pick outright in 2030 in addition to Top 2 protected swap rights in 2029, the Grizzlies also have control of all of their first-round picks through 2032, if they choose not to swap any of them. Therefore, there's still plenty of young talent that can make its way to Memphis.

The Grizzlies still have other opportunities to extend Morant down the line, so even if they don't extend him by October 20th, fans shouldn't see it as a negative for their relationship going forward.