Grizzlies' Ja Morant enters counseling program, no timetable for return

Morant has been away from the Memphis Grizzlies since he broadcast on Instagram Live from a Denver gentlemen’s club, and held up a handgun during the broadcast. That was the last straw for Memphis, after a string of violent incidents with Morant involving a teenager, a mall cop and the Indiana Pacers team bus.

The day after the video with the gun, Morant released a statement that said in part, "I'm going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."

That wasn’t just a PR statement. Morant really is going through counseling, and taking steps towards his mental health and well-being. He may rejoin the Grizzlies as early as Friday, though Coach Taylor Jenkins said, basically, it’s complicated.

The NBA is still investigating Morant, so there could be discipline in the form of fines or suspension from the league. Technically, Memphis didn’t suspend Morant either—he’s simply on leave from the team.

Memphis dropped two games in Los Angeles without Morant, but rebounded to beat the Warriors and Mavericks. Missing one of their All-Stars hasn’t been disastrous so far. In fact, there’s one possible benefit to their future salary cap situation.

The “Derrick Rose Rule” (Officially the “5th Year, 30% Max Criteria”) allows a player who signed a designated rookie extension to get 30 percent of the salary cap, rather than the standard 25 percent. But to qualify, a player must win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or make the All-NBA team in the previous season—or two of the last three.

If Morant doesn’t qualify, that’s a huge financial boon to the Grizzlies, and a big blow for him. Counseling should help Morant move past his problems, but his reduced paychecks might be the most powerful reminder of how much bad behavior can cost him.