Ja Morant missed the action between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
The veteran guard has been dealing with a setback. The injury report describes Morant’s setback as a right calf contusion, which has taken him off the court for the past three games.
Friday’s situation called for some questioning. During this recent stretch of absences, Morant entered those games with a shot at playing, being questionable before all of those matchups. This time around, the Grizzlies didn’t waste any time ruling him out.
In order to get clarity, Memphis News’ Damichael Cole inquired about Morant’s setback prior to the Grizzlies-Thunder matchup.
Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo confirmed that Morant is still dealing with the same injury. He denied that there were any setbacks, without further clarification.
The timing will feel off, considering the Grizzlies are reportedly open to taking calls on Ja Morant as a potential trade candidate for the first time in his career.
The 2025-2026 NBA season started off rocky for Morant and his coaching staff, but after he missed a chunk of games between November and December, it seemed everything might’ve blown over.
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Still, that hasn’t prevented the Grizzlies from scanning the market. Memphis’ front office doesn’t seem to be operating with a trade-or-bust mindset, but it’s becoming clear that Morant could be playing out his final month with the Grizzlies.
Based on Iisalo’s statement, it’s also clear that Morant isn’t saving his health amid trade rumors. He’s been battling his setback since January 4.
At this point, Morant has made 18 appearances this year. The veteran guard has produced 19.0 points per game, while shooting 40 percent from the field. He also dished out 7.6 assists, and came down with 3.2 rebounds.
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