Ja Morant

Southwest Notes: Bullock, Wembanyama, Grizzlies, Kleber

July 6th, 2023 at 3:54pm CST by Rory Maher

The sign-and-trade agreement that is sending Reggie Bullock and a 2030 first-round pick swap (via Dallas) to the Spurs could help them both now and in the future, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link).

As McDonald writes, Bullock will immediately become the oldest player (32) on the roster, with an opportunity to serve as a veteran mentor while competing for rotation minutes. His $10.5MM expiring contract will also push the Spurs above the salary cap floor, giving them access to the annual tax payment from the league’s biggest spenders.

However, the pick swap could turn out to be the real prize, McDonald notes. No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama theoretically will be in his prime in seven years, which might give San Antonio an edge in terms of having a better record than Dallas in 2030 (and thus the swap conveying).

Here’s more from the Southwest:

Speaking of Wembanyama, the Spurs will be cautious with their franchise player, but that doesn’t mean they have durability concerns about the 7’4″ big man, writes Mark Medina of Sportsnaut. It’s normal for top draft picks to have their minutes limited during Summer League action, as Wembanyama will when he makes his debut on Friday in Las Vegas, Medina notes. People around the league believe the Spurs are focused on Wembanyama’s transition to the NBA being as seamless as possible, which is why they want to limit his workload early on.
The Grizzlies‘ playing style won’t change with Ja Morant suspended for the first 25 games of 2023/24, head coach Taylor Jenkins said on NBA TV. “Our system doesn’t change,” Jenkins said, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “What we emphasize offensively — the pace, the space, the unselfishness — defensively, the discipline nature that we got to have every single night, that’s what we’re going to lean on.” The Grizzlies will also be looking for internal development from Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. to fill Morant’s void, Jenkins added.
Maxi Kleber‘s ’22/23 campaign was ravaged by injury, having suffered a torn hamstring in December that required surgery. The Mavericks big man is healthy again now and feels much more like himself, he tells Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “I’m ready, yeah. That’s what I’ve been preparing for,” Kleber said when asked if he’s ready for an injury-free season. “Last year was obviously frustrating because I was out for so long. And even coming back, I had so many issues. I couldn’t move properly. It’s something you don’t want to have to deal with during the season. So it was good to have this summer actually to recover and do some work.” Kleber also told Sefko he’ll play for Germany in the World Cup next month, his first national team appearance in several years due to various injuries.

Southwest Notes: Irving, Wembanyama, Rockets, Morant, Hawkins

June 28th, 2023 at 4:33pm CST by Luke Adams

There will likely be an “extremely limited” market for Kyrie Irving outside of Dallas, Adrian Wojnarowski said during an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Tuesday (YouTube link). According to Wojnarowski, that’s why the “full expectation” is that Irving will re-sign with the Mavericks.

“The question will be what kind of a deal does he goes back on,” Wojnarowski said. “How many years on a contract? I don’t think the money will be as much of an issue as how many fully guaranteed years are there for Kyrie Irving. I think that’s where the negotiation is going to be between he and the Mavericks.”

While there are no obvious non-Mavericks suitors for Irving at this point, it sounds like Kyrie intends to explore all his options. Appearing on NBA Today on Wednesday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said Irving plans to take meetings when free agency opens on Friday. According to Shelburne, the mercurial guard hopes to end up somewhere that “feels like home” and where he can spend the rest of his playing career.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama won’t take part in the California Classic Summer League in early July, but will be joining the Spurs when they travel to the Las Vegas Summer League, the team announced today. Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee has the story.
Under new Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, players will have to earn their minutes, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, who writes that winning will be prioritized over player development in “phase two” of the team’s rebuild. “A lot of the (playing) time and positions, those things have been given, so to speak, with the young guys,” Udoka said on Monday. “There’ll be changes now in phase two. We are adding some more young pieces but also adding some veterans. So I think this will kind of raise the level of competition. Nothing is handed out anymore.”
Lucas Finton of The Memphis Commercial Appeal has the details on Ja Morant‘s latest dealings with the legal system. According to Finton, the Grizzlies guard has filed a motion to dismiss an ongoing civil suit related to the punch Morant threw at a then-17-year-old during a pickup basketball game last summer.
The Pelicans believe they got the “best shooter in the draft” when they used the No. 14 overall pick on Jordan Hawkins, general manager Trajan Langdon told reporters, including Christian Clark of NOLA.com, on Tuesday.

Grizzlies Notes: Bane, Smart, Morant, Jackson, Adams, Clarke

June 23rd, 2023 at 11:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Desmond Bane believes Marcus Smart is a perfect addition for the Grizzlies‘ style of basketball, writes Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal. Memphis acquired the former Defensive Player of the Year from the Celtics in a three-team deal that was finalized late Thursday night, and Bane is thrilled to welcome him to the team.

Bane sees Smart as a replacement for free agent Dillon Brooks, who Memphis isn’t expected to re-sign. Bane said Brooks’ defensive prowess relieved him of the burden of having to guard the opponent’s best player, and he expects Smart to do the same.

“Marcus Smart brings a lot to the team,” Bane said. “I mean I think you guys are going to love him. He kind of brings that Dillon edge, a little bit more playmaking. It’s going to be fun.”

Bane added that he’s making progress after having toe surgery in mid-May, and he hopes to resume shooting soon. He’s expected to receive a rookie-scale extension after averaging a career-best 21.5 PPG this season.

There’s more from Memphis:

At a post-draft press conference, general manager Zach Kleiman offered the Grizzlies’ first public statement on Ja Morant since his 25-game suspension was announced last week, Cole states in a separate story. Kleiman said team officials have maintained a dialogue with Morant and the relationship isn’t strained, but the troubled guard has to prove he can change his behavior. “We’re going to continue to pour into him, we’re going to continue to hold him to account for everything that he’s doing day-to-day,” Kleiman said. “It’s on him to follow through, but he’s going to have every opportunity to do so.”
Second-round pick G.G. Jackson will likely receive a two-way contract and spend most of the upcoming season in the G League, Cole adds in another piece. The 18-year-old forward out of South Carolina was taken with the 45th pick Thursday night. “We see someone who for his size is incredibly skilled,” Kleiman said. “We see someone who is a hard worker and is committed to doing the hard work. … G.G. is going to have to put in the work to achieve his potential.”
Kleiman expressed confidence that Steven Adams will be ready for the start of next season, Cole tweets. The team’s starting center wasn’t able to return after suffering an injury to his right knee in January. Kleiman believes Brandon Clarke will be available for a “good portion” of the season after tearing his left Achilles in March.

Grizzlies Notes: Morant, NBPA, Two-Way Slots, K. Davis

June 17th, 2023 at 6:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ja Morant‘s 25-game suspension was a result of his failure to live up to promises he made when he met with Commissioner Adam Silver in March, sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic.

During that hour-long session, which was also attended by NBA vice president Joe Dumars and NBPA leader Tamika Tremaglio, Morant blamed his first gun-related incident on an abundance of alcohol at a Denver-area strip club. The Grizzlies guard was described as “humble and contrite” during the meeting, and he convinced Silver that his regret over the matter was legitimate.

Their meeting wasn’t mentioned when Silver announced Morant’s latest punishment on Friday, but Amick believes the commissioner felt betrayed when he saw Morant repeat the same mistake. League sources tell Amick that Silver’s decision was only related to the two gun incidents and not the numerous other cases of alleged questionable behavior by Morant. Amick adds that a lawsuit involving the alleged assault of a teenager is still working its way through the court system, and the results could affect the decision on when Morant will be reinstated.

There’s more from Memphis:

A source also tells Amick that the NBPA’s objection to Morant’s suspension is related to the vagueness of “certain conditions” that Morant will be required to meet before he resume playing. The union would have been more comfortable with something in the 16-game range, which would have doubled his first suspension, according to Amick’s source.
The Grizzlies will benefit from the addition of a third two-way player in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, writes Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal. Memphis only has one roster spot open heading into the draft, where it holds picks No. 25, 45 and 56. Cole suggests that Vince Williams Jr.‘s two-way slot feels safe because he was drafted in the second round last year and the organization likes his potential as a shooter. The second two-way spot currently belongs to Jacob Gilyard, who signed with the team in April.
Memphis point guard Kendric Davis has a workout scheduled with the Grizzlies this week, tweets Daily Memphian columnist John Martin. Davis has also worked out for the Warriors, Hornets, Wizards and Pacers.

NBPA Calls Morant’s Suspension “Excessive, Inappropriate”

June 16th, 2023 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA made its long-awaited announcement on Friday regarding the investigation into Ja Morant, issuing a press release stating that the Grizzlies guard will serve a 25-game suspension to open the 2023/24 season.

The league’s announcement indicated that, in order to be reinstated, Morant will also “be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”

Morant put out a statement expressing remorse for his actions and essentially accepting his punishment. However, the National Basketball Players Association isn’t happy with the league’s decision to both suspend the 23-year-old for nearly a third of the season and require him to meet conditions in order to return. The players’ union issued a statement of its own on Friday afternoon.

“Ja has expressed his remorse and accepted responsibility for his actions, and we support him unequivocally as he does whatever is necessary to represent himself, our players and our league in the best possible light,” NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio said in a press release.

“As to the discipline imposed, which keeps him off the court until December and requires some unstated conditions to be met before he can return, we believe it is excessive and inappropriate for a number of reasons including the facts involved in this particular incident, and that it is not fair and consistent with past discipline in our league. We will explore with Ja all options and next steps.”

While Tremaglio doesn’t get into specifics, it’s probably safe to assume that the NBPA objects to the length of the suspension for an act that didn’t break any laws and didn’t subject Morant to any criminal charges. His history of off-court incidents clearly factored heavily into the NBA’s decision to suspend him for 25 games for briefly showing a gun in an Instagram Live video.

According to ESPN, Morant’s suspension is the eighth-longest in league history. Miles Bridges‘ 30-game ban, handed out in April, is considered one of the seven suspensions longer than Morant’s, even though Bridges will only be required to sit out 10 games once he signs a contract.

As legal expert Michael McCann observes (via Twitter), even if the NBPA doesn’t support Morant’s behavior any more than the NBA does, the union has a legal duty to ensure that the league isn’t establishing new precedents that could be used to discipline players more harshly in the future.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link) there’s a 30-day window in which to file a grievance, so Morant will have until mid-July to decide whether or not to fight the suspension. The grievance would have to be filed by Morant rather than the NBPA, Marks adds.

The union will meet with Morant to discuss possible next steps, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.

Ja Morant Suspended For 25 Games

June 16th, 2023 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has suspended Grizzlies guard Ja Morant for 25 games, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Morant, who will serve the suspension at the start of the 2023/24 season, will have to meet certain conditions to return to action, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The league has put out a formal statement officially confirming Charania’s and Wojnarowski’s reporting.

Morant’s suspension stems from an Instagram Live video that went viral last month. The Grizzlies star wielded a gun in that video, less than two-and-a-half months after he was suspended for eight games when a video showed him waving a gun around at a Colorado strip club.

Memphis suspended Morant indefinitely after his latest off-court incident while the NBA investigated the video and weighed its response. Commissioner Adam Silver told reporters at the start of the Finals on June 1 that the league would wait until after the season ended to make an announcement on the results of its investigation.

In its press release on Friday, the NBA said that Morant “intentionally and prominently” displayed a gun in the May 13 social media video, “knowing that he was being recorded and that the recording was being live streamed on Instagram Live.”

A significant factor in the decision to suspend the 23-year-old for 25 games is the fact that he “made commitments to the NBA and (in) public statements that he would not repeat the conduct for which he was previously disciplined,” per the league.

“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” Silver said in a statement. “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.

“For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”

Morant and the Grizzlies each released official responses to the NBA’s announcement.

The team’s press release is brief: “We respect the league’s decision to suspend Ja Morant following this latest episode. Our standards as a league and team are clear, and we expect that all team personnel will adhere to them.”

In a lengthier statement, Morant expressed remorse for his behavior and vowed to be better going forward, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link):

“I’ve had time to reflect and I realize how much hurt I’ve caused. I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates and the city of Memphis. To Adam Silver, (Grizzlies executive) Zach Kleiman and (Grizzlies owner) Robert Pera – who gave me the opportunity to be a professional athlete and have supported me – I’m sorry for the harm I’ve done. To the kids who look up to me, I’m sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I’m going to be better. To all my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.

“I’m spending the offseason and my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision making. I’m also going to be training so that I’m ready to go when I can be back on the court. I know my teammates are going to hold it down and I’m so sorry I won’t be out there with you at the beginning of the season.

“I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove to you over time I’m a better man than what I’ve been showing you.”

Prior to these gun-related videos in March and April, Morant was involved in a series of troubling off-court incidents. He punched a 17-year-old during a pickup game last summer, was accused of threatening a security guard at a Memphis mall, and was reportedly involved in a confrontation with members of the Pacers’ traveling party after a January game.

Although law enforcement looked into some of those allegations, Morant hasn’t faced any criminal charges. Still, the NBA has significant latitude to fine or suspend its players for conduct it deems detrimental to the league. Silver spoke earlier this month about the NBA’s focus being on “gun safety” rather than whether any local laws are being broken.

Morant was his usual productive self for the Grizzlies on the court in 2022/23, averaging 26.2 points, 8.1 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game in 61 regular season contests (31.9 MPG). For the first 25 games of next season, Memphis will likely turn to Tyus Jones as its starting point guard; the team also figures to seek additional depth at the position this summer.

Morant’s five-year, maximum-salary contract extension with the team will go into effect in ’23/24 and is projected to be worth $33.5MM in year one.

The two-time All-Star will lose 1/110th of his 2023/24 salary for each game of his suspension. That works out to $7,613,636 in forfeited salary if next season’s salary cap comes in at $134MM as projected.

Southwest Notes: Morant, Mavs, Rockets, Thompson Twins, Zion

June 10th, 2023 at 9:11am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show on Thursday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver once again addressed the Ja Morant situation in Memphis, indicating that the league doesn’t simply want to hit the Grizzlies guard with a long suspension and hope that he gets the message about his off-court behavior.

“I think it’s important to point out that this is not just about disciplining him and crossing your fingers hoping it’s not a third time,” Silver said, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I recognize that he needs some assistance from the league office, his union, his team. … My hope is that wherever we come out in terms of discipline, there is a an acceptance that we need to find ways to engage with each other going forward so that he can change the trajectory that he’s now on, which is not a positive one.

“I want to find a way where, frankly, he’s not being kicked to the curb, but basketball will take a back seat and first and foremost, we’re going to focus on him as a young man developing as a better person as someone who is more responsible.”

There have been rumors that the weapon Morant appeared to brandish in his recent Instagram Live viral video was actually a toy gun and not a real one. The commissioner didn’t confirm or deny the validity of that speculation, suggesting that the perception created by the video would be problematic either way.

“The very issue for Ja certainly in the first incident was treating a gun as a toy,” Silver said. “That’s what we’re talking about, and I think that’s what the danger is to society; Taking a gun, live-streaming it. … I think everyone agrees that gun safety is important. Guns aren’t toys.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

The question of whether or not Kyrie Irving will re-sign is the big one looming over the Mavericks‘ offseason, but there are several other issues the team will need to figure out in the coming weeks, writes Tim Cato of The Athletic. Those other questions include how the Mavs will use the No. 10 overall pick and whether or not the team will have the flexibility – and the desire – to use its full mid-level exception on a free agent.
Within a discussion with John Hollinger about the Rockets‘ upcoming offseason, Kelly Iko of The Athletic says draft prospects Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson are scheduled to visit the team next week. Both Thompson twins figure to receive serious consideration at No. 4, whether Houston keeps or trades the pick.
It’s time for Zion Williamson to start making headlines on the court instead of off it, writes columnist Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com. Williamson’s personal life has become very public in recent days, and while he acknowledges that how Zion spends his free time is his own business, Duncan is concerned that the Pelicans forward is having his professional life negatively affected by his off-court decisions. As Duncan observes, Pelicans guard CJ McCollum spoke after the season about prioritizing what he and his teammates “need to do off the court in terms of preparation.”

Grizzlies Notes: Morant, Jackson, Bane, Adams

June 6th, 2023 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Adam Silver will wait until after the NBA Finals to announce Ja Morant‘s punishment for his latest gun-related incident, but the commissioner dropped some hints about the length of a potential suspension during his press conference last week, writes Mark Giannatto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Giannatto examines five statements from Silver to get an idea of what Morant’s suspension might look like. He suggests that the commissioner seemed more disappointed than angry about Morant’s behavior when he talked about creating “better circumstances going forward” for the Grizzlies star.

Silver mentioned the involvement of the players’ union in the process, which Giannatto believes may be encouraging for Morant. He points out that no player has ever been suspended for more than 30 games without being charged with a crime and theorizes that the NBPA won’t let that happen to Morant without putting up a fight.

There’s more on the Grizzlies:

Appearing on Paul George‘s podcast, Jaren Jackson Jr. expressed support for Morant and said he’s holding up well amid the likelihood of suspension, relays Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal. “He’s good,” Jackson said. “That’s my brother, though. No matter what, I stand by my brother, and I think that’s the lesson everybody should take away from this. … Everybody is going to say whatever, but they’re everybody. It never matters at the end of the day. This is your family. This is your brother.”
The absence of Morant will make this an especially important season for Desmond Bane, Cole adds in a separate story. Bane, who will be on the final year of his rookie contract, will have to assume a larger leadership role on the team and Cole states that he might have All-Star potential. Cole also points to Santi Aldama, Ziaire Williams, Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Tyus Jones as players to watch heading into next season.
The Grizzlies never fully recovered after losing Steven Adams to a right knee injury in January, Cole states in another Commercial Appeal piece. The team’s starting center appeared in a career-low 42 games this season and was especially missed in the playoffs when Memphis was outmuscled in a first-round loss to the Lakers. Cole adds that in addition to his rebounding, the Grizzlies also missed Adams’ screen setting and his leadership as the oldest player on the team.

Grizzlies Notes: Morant, Jones, Point Guard, Bane

June 3rd, 2023 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters during a press conference on Thursday that the league won’t announce the results of its latest Ja Morant investigation until after the NBA Finals. However, Silver’s comments seemed to hint that a harsh punishment is on the way for the Grizzlies guard, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, and Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Twitter video link), among others.

“It was very unusual for him to basically say, ‘I know what I’m going to do but I’m not going to announce it now,'” Windhorst said on ESPN’s Get Up. “The second part is that he brought up that he’s working alongside the Players Association on this. He’s obviously bringing them along side by side. Trust me, typically the Players Association isn’t there as the discipline is being decided on and doled out.

“So this is a situation that is wide-ranging, and quite frankly, the indication here is that this is going to be a significant suspension. The tone and the tenor and the fact that the Players Association is involved does not indicate this is going to be something similar to what we’ve seen before. And I also think that Adam Silver’s expecting for there to be a lot of reaction to what he does. He doesn’t want it to be a story line during the Finals. So take all of that under advisement as you consider what’s headed for Ja Morant.”

Asked during Thursday’s press conference whether the NBA was too lenient in suspending Morant for eight games earlier this year after a similar viral video in which he flashed a gun, Silver admitted he wasn’t sure, as Amick relays.

“If it had been a 12-game suspension instead of an eight-game suspension, would that have mattered?” Silver said. “… It seemed appropriate at the time. That’s all I can say. Maybe by definition, to the extent we’ve all seen the video that it appears he’s done it again, I guess you could say maybe not.

“But I don’t think we yet know what it will take to change his behavior. (It’s the) same thing I said at the time; he seems to be a fine young man. In terms of my dealings with him, I think he’s clearly made some mistakes, but he’s young, and I’m hoping now —once we conclude at the end of our process what the appropriate discipline is, that it’s not just about the discipline, it’s about now what we, the Players Association, his team and he and the people around him are going to do to create better circumstances going forward.”

Here’s more on the Grizzlies:

Addressing the Morant situation on Friday at an NBA Cares event in Denver, Silver clarified that the league’s biggest concern at this point is about “gun safety” rather than whether or not any state’s laws are being broken. “I feel across the board, regardless of what people’s individual views are on gun rights, everyone feels firearms should be handled in a safe way, and waving them around or displaying them in a certain context is not consistent with gun safety and is not the proper message that an NBA player, particularly one at Ja’s level, should be sending to the tens of millions of followers he has,” Silver said, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
While Tyus Jones is capable of stepping into the Grizzlies’ starting lineup if Morant is suspended to start the 2023/24 season, the team will likely target a reliable backup point guard or a play-maker at another position this offseason in order to provide additional depth behind Jones, says Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal takes a look at how Desmond Bane continued to evolve and improve in his third NBA season, noting that Bane was solid on defense and made progress toward becoming an “efficient three-level scorer” on offense. Bane will eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.
Denver’s run to the NBA Finals can serve as inspiration for the Grizzlies, according to Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Like the Nuggets with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, Memphis has a core it wants to build around (Morant, Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr.) and – barring further off-court setbacks with Morant – can focus on continuing to upgrade its roster around that trio, Giannotto writes.

Silver: NBA To Announce Discipline For Morant After Finals

June 1st, 2023 at 7:08pm CST by Rory Maher

Commissioner Adam Silver says the NBA’s investigation into Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has essentially concluded, but the league will announce his punishment soon after the NBA Finals wrap up, noting a desire to not detract from the Nuggets and Heat, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter links).

“We’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information,” Silver said of Morant’s latest gun incident. “We probably could have brought it to a head now, but we’ve made the decision that it would be unfair to these players and these teams to announce that decision in the middle of this series.”

The Score has the video of Silver discussing Morant (Twitter video link). Silver said a “history of prior acts, the individual player’s history” and “the seriousness of the conduct” all factored into the league’s decision, adding that it was mostly a judgment call. He added that the National Basketball Players Association concurred with the decision to wait until after the Finals.

Derek Bodner of DailySix.com and Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group are among the reporters who point out (Twitter links) that if the goal was to not detract from the Finals, it’s bizarre that Silver chose to speak publicly about Morant’s status and dangle the carrot, so to speak, without an official announcement. A simple “no comment” may have sufficed.

Morant, the former Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Star, was suspended indefinitely by Memphis last month while the NBA investigated a social media video after he appeared to brandish a gun in an Instagram Live video that went viral. The incident came less than two-and-a-half months after Morant flashed a gun at a Denver-area strip club while streaming on Instagram Live. That video, which immediately prompted an investigation from the NBA, eventually led to an eight-game suspension.

Morant’s live stream in March was part of a series of troubling off-court incidents allegedly involving the 23-year-old, who punched a 17-year-old during a pickup game last summer, was accused of threatening a security guard at a Memphis mall, and was reportedly involved in a confrontation with members of the Pacers’ traveling party after a January game.

The 23-year-old hasn’t faced any criminal charges for those past incidents or either of his gun-related video streams, but the NBA has significant latitude to fine or suspend its players for conduct it deems detrimental to the league.

It seems likely that Morant will face a harsher penalty from the league this time around, not only for repeating the behavior that earned him his previous suspension, but for making the league office look foolish for any lenience it may have shown last time.

Load More Posts