Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant has suffered a labral tear in his right shoulder and will undergo season-ending surgery, the team’s PR department announced (Twitter link).
It’s a stunning turn of events for Memphis’ franchise and Morant, who returned last month from his 25-game, league-imposed suspension.
Morant suffered a subluxation of his right shoulder during Saturday’s training session. After he experienced continued soreness and instability, Morant underwent an MRI that revealed the underlying labral tear, per the Grizzlies. He’s expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Morant averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds in nine games since he served out the suspension, including a game-winning shot against New Orleans on Dec. 19 in his return to action.
The Grizzlies won just six games during his suspension. They were 6-3 in games that he played.
Morant sat out Sunday’s win over Phoenix with what the team described at the time as shoulder soreness.
The loss of Morant would seemingly end any realistic hope of the Grizzlies getting into the postseason picture and could also alter the front office’s approach to the trade deadline.
Morant is the first year of a five-year, rookie scale max extension.
The Grizzlies have until January 15 to file for a disabled player exception, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. The exception would be worth approximately $12.4MM, the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Memphis already has a $6.3MM DPE as a result of Steven Adams‘ season-ending injury.
lmao
Weirdo…
@youngsimba the injury isnt funny it’s the irony that’s funny
Got issues ……
Sums up the season.
Go get Tyus Jones back
did he get in a gunfight?
Well, shoot, that is bad news.
It’s his shooting arm
I hate it here. Lmao
He deserved that.
They should have someone stay with him and keep him out of trouble while he recovers.
Idk how much you’re joking but you’re not wrong. Lot of potential for things to go sideways. Ja is too good to let this opportunity slide.
Thoughts and prayers. Nah
Jar More Rants.
That sucks. I like Morant. Yeah sure he’s done some stupid stuff but there’s dudes playing that have done worse. The positive for the Grizz is that they have their own first round pick.
Hurt his shoulder holding those GUNS UP
Lottery pick …….
Move back to Vancouver
If he pulls the “trigger” on surgery now, he’ll have a “shot” at being ready for camp next season.
all that money but shows he’s not made of teflon. he’s gotta bite the bullet and do the rehab otherwise he’d berretta start studying for the civil service test
Live by the gun die by the gun.
When a guy sits the first part of the start of the season, these types of things don’t surprise me.
My thoughts exactly. Still sucks.
Good job silver
Hes out there trying to do dunks that he has no chance of making. This related to that nonsense?
The gun jokes were so so funny the 38,793,562nd time but 38,793,563rd is starting to get a little old.
It’s not even been a decade…
He ain’t living being that dumb down…
Just have to wait until another high profile sports star to make a dumb decision involving violent weapons…
Agreed,
Seriously, the Ja gun jokes are starting to get into “Dab” territory. Time to move on folks, maybe come up with something more intelligent and modern.
Nah… As long as someone is laughing it doesn’t matter…
It is old. But it’s not undeserved. Do stupid crap, win stupid prizes. Or have stupid jokes told about you, as the case may be.
Wonder what this will do on the trade market.
Grizzlies are almost 12 million below the luxury tax this season, but over the tax line next season.
Could make sense to use those two DPE to take on expiring salaries for the good assets and buy them our or waive them? With 12.4 and 6.3 million the sizes are perfect.
Houston seems like the ideal trade partner, with the 9.45 million contract of injured Oladipo. Houston sends out Oladipo, maximum cash and 2nd round picks to Memphis. A 3rd team can send a player to Houston in return for a trade exception and some more assets.
And I guess Kennard, Biyombo, Ziaire Williams, D. Rose, X Tillman, LaRavia, Roddy and Aldama can all go for expiring contracts plus draft assets to facilitate whatever multi team trade.
Kennard is gone they won’t pick up that option.
And Adam’s and Clarke play key roles for them so cant see them move off that 24M. They just dealt for Smart too.
Maybe they can dump Konchar and replace him with a min salary. So not much they can do without moving someone key.
They do have trade options without moving someone key.
But it isn’t necessarily getting high caliber players for the long term, certainly not given their luxury tax situation next year.
Their main value is in taking on unwanted expiring salary and then buying them out. It’s about earning some cash and picks in those trades.
Clearing some salary for next year, like Konchar, could also be interesting for them.
Just realising: if they cannot trade Kennard, it might make sense to buy him out.
Well at least we shouldn’t have to hear from his dad now till next season.
Seems like his dumb decisions caught up with him… Sitting for over a quarter of a season basically by his own choosing…
Hope he learns what opportunity he has in front of him…
It’s called “karma”.
That escalated quickly.
Anyone else think that if Memphis was a 7 seed Ja would be playing? Reminds me a lot of how Charlotte handled Melo last season
For a labrum tear? No. That’s a season-ending injury unless you’re really, *really* lucky.
The injury isn’t season ending, the surgery is. Thats kind of my whole point. If the Grizz had a shot at making the playoffs I don’t think he gets the surgery
Depends on the severity, but a torn labrum can take upwards of six months to heal even without surgery. And that’s if it’s small enough to heal properly on its own; a large enough tear can require surgery to fix.
With surgery, two months is potentially possible for a recovery time. The fact that that’s not even mentioned as a possibility makes me think it’s not a small tear.
Grizz should concentrate on next yr. Finish in the lottery and strengthen their team. Ja has cost them another yr. Basketball gods are sending Ja a message. Get Your priorities in order. This life only lasts for 10-14 yrs. And that’s for the top of the cream. He had a chance to be THE top of the cream. Bad choices and bad injuries can end it all. Wake up Kid ……
Lol 10-14yrs, how old are you? This aint 1962 dawg
Tyus Jones for laravia and zaire?
“My Uzi Weighs A Ton”
Grizz may execute a trade to remain competitive with Ja sidelined. What if they trade for Dejonte?