Ja Morant recently returned from a calf injury that forced him to miss six games, and the Memphis Grizzlies star will now be sidelined again for the foreseeable future.
Morant suffered a sprained MCL in his left elbow during the Grizzlies’ 124-122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. On Saturday, the Grizzlies announced that Morant will be re-evaluated in three weeks.
That timeline means Morant will be out through the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline. The Grizzlies noted that their star guard is expected to make a “full recovery.”
Ja Morant’s latest injury comes at a terrible time
Morant’s latest injury comes amid a stretch when Memphis has lost nine of its last 12 games. The Grizzlies entered Saturday with a record of 18-25, which places them outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference. With Morant sidelined, it will be even more difficult for the team to dig out of that hole.
Morant finished with 23 points and 12 assists against Atlanta. He also committed five turnovers and had a chance to make a game-winning three-pointer but lost control of the ball and put up an errant shot.
“I don’t think that last play is the reason we lost the game,” Morant said after the game. “It is what it is. I had a lot of turnovers that put us in that position. It’s a lot of other things we could’ve changed.
“If you want to talk about that possession, I could’ve let Jaylen (Wells) drive it up, we could’ve called timeout, I could’ve passed the ball, I could’ve found a better shot, but we’re on the other side of it. So it’s over.”
Trade rumors continue to swirl
With the Grizzlies fading from playoff contention again, there have been rumors that Morant could be traded ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline. The former No. 2 overall pick has said he wants to remain in Memphis, though he does not have a no-trade clause in his contract.
Morant is averaging 19.5 points, 8.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game this season. It is going to be extremely difficult for Memphis to climb back into the postseason picture without him. If there is interest in Morant on the trade market, the Grizzlies will likely entertain conversations with rival teams.
