The Memphis Grizzlies are losing the war within

When the official history of the Ja Morant Era of the Memphis Grizzlies is written, whoever is providing the prose will have a tall task on their hands.

How do you describe to someone who didn't experience it the pull of Morant's stardom, the gravity of his presence in Memphis? How after numerous absences due to several injuries and suspensions, there is still a palpable desire for Morant to rise back to the forefront of the franchise? How after his inability to be the leader of the Grizzlies franchise the team needed him to be played a role in the departures of Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. via trade, he still had many hoping for reconciliation between the team and Morant after their own failed initial attempt to trade him at the deadline?

I wish that person luck. It's a tough tale to tell in the here and now. But in the present, the real loser of the conclusion of this time in Grizzlies history is the Grizzlies themselves.

Morant's allegedly fading star

If you were to believe the national interpretation of the situation, Ja Morant now has negative value in the eyes of most, if not all, teams in the National Basketball Association. No franchise was willing to take the risk on the oft unavailable shell of what Morant once was, no matter how bright the flashes of current brillance may be. Such a player would be a distraction - not worth the attention paid to Ja's past transgressions or current inability to stay healthy for long stretches of time.

These takes are clouded in uncertainty. How much of Morant's current playing availability coincides with the newly adopted tanking path for the franchise? Why should Ja - who for what it's worth has not had off the court issues anywhere near what happened back in 2023 when he was suspended by the league due to his online presence possessing a firearm - continue to pay the price for those mistakes?

If he cannot be counted on, his lack of trade interest makes logical sense. But asking the Grizzlies to part with assets to move on? That was a bridge too far.

Because Memphis knows Morant is more than that. In more ways than one.

An un"Coward"ly endorsement

If Ja was such a detriment to the team, why would teammates like Cedric Coward come to the defense of Morant so decisively? There is no benefit to Coward, who clearly is important by the Grizzlies franchise beyond this season (unlike Morant moving forward), going out on a proverbial limb so aggressively without him genuinely believing what he says.

And while it is not against the public word of the organization - Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman had had Morant's back time and again and specifically said the trade deadline was basketball-related thinking - it is against the logic of trying to build a team. For veterans are necessary for any young team to be shown the way of an NBA player, and leadership is lacking on this current Memphis roster.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ty Jerome, and Kyle Anderson are serviceable veterans with varying levels of ability to contribute to winning. Ja Morant is the one true superstar in franchise history. There are levels to this, and Coward's praise should speak volumes.

But will it? And in the end, after all that has transpired, does it really matter?