Memphis Grizzlies’ guard Ja Morant could return from his eight-game suspension on Wednesday. His season was put on hold after he posted a picture on Instagram of him flashing a gun.
Now Ja Morant showing off his gun on IG live 🤡🤡🤡🤡
— Sports ON Tap Brothers🎙️ (@thesportsontap) March 4, 2023
He was eligible to return on Monday but was late for practice.
A number of issues for Morant
The gun incident was only the latest issue for Morant over the last year. He was also recently reported to have allegedly punched a teenager and threatened him with a gun. Then, he threatened the head of security of a Memphis mall and saw his entourage get into a conflict with Indiana Pacers staffers.
The Grizzlies, signed their former No. 2 overall pick to a five-year, $231 million dollar extension last season. They were apparently comfortable enough with his apology and therapy progress to bring him back only one game later than allowed by the league. A return Wednesday would give Morant 11 games to play before the NBA playoffs. Memphis is currently tied with the Sacramento Kings for the West’s No. 2 seed at 43-27. The Grizzlies will host the Rockets on Wednesday and Friday.
A return Wednesday would give him 11 games to play before the NBA playoffs, where Memphis is currently tied with the Sacramento Kings for the West’s No. 2 seed at 43-27.
Grizzlies trying to protect Morant from himself
The Memphis Grizzlies are taking steps to eliminate the temptations their players encounter especially on the road. For starters, the team is trying to avoid spending nights in “high profile” cities and have left more road cities recently instead of staying overnight.
Measures like this might help but one would think that they shouldn’t be needed. However, in the case of the 23-year-old Morant, preventive babysitting might be a good idea.
Morant is lighter in the wallet
Morant lost $668,639 in salary during his suspension but that pales in comparison to what he might lose. He could indirectly lose close to $40 million if the suspension ends up costing him a spot on the All-NBA team.
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