If Morant trusts the front office, so should you
For Ja Morant, it starts with trust. Those were his first words last week upon speaking about signing the most lucrative contract in Memphis Grizzlies history.
The trust this organization put in him from the moment they first met, back at the NBA Scouting Combine before the draft that completely altered the trajectory of both player and team. The trust Morant never got from the college basketball recruiters who overlooked him in high school. The trust nobody but his family and close friends provided him with until he arrived here more than three years ago.
The trust that will continue to define this relationship for the next six years he's under contract, and hopefully much longer than that.
Dig deeper into the love affair between Morant and this city that now feels stronger than ever – one that feels especially unique because few but Morant saw his superstardom coming five years ago and few outside of Memphis understand the close-knit fabric that lines this community – and you will find their partnership is far less complicated than it appears in the fairytale retelling of how this all came to be.
Morant trusts what this Grizzlies front office is doing, what they're creating around him, and he'll be here so long as that trust remains.
“They believe in me to be the leader of this team and, if you ask me,” Morant said Friday, “they do a helluva job putting players around me that help make me look good.”
As refreshing as it was to learn last week that Morant didn't include a fifthyear player option in his new max deal, that he seemingly forfeited leverage and (potentially) extra money a player in his position wouldn't have, all of that good will relies upon him wanting to be here.
From Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to Lebron James and Anthony Davis, the class of superstars Morant and his generation will one day replace made chasing championships their priority, eschewing loyalty to a specific team or city.
Perhaps Stephen Curry's career in Golden State and Damian Lillard's recent contract extension in Portland portend to a new era that harkens back to the days of players sticking with one team through the prime of their careers. Perhaps Morant is more of that ilk. The early indications are that he'd prefer to be like that.
But Morant nonetheless holds the power. A contract is ultimately just a piece of paper in the NBA. If a player of Morant's stature demands a trade, it's nearly impossible to keep them in the fold. Only the Los Angeles Lakers proved capable of pulling it off 15 years ago with Kobe Bryant.
None of which is to suggest Morant will ever do that. Just that he can. And it's up to people like Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman to make sure he never does.
During this offseason of limited activity in Memphis, an offseason without a splashy move (yet?), an offseason that could be construed as the rest of the Western Conference getting stronger and the Grizzlies standing pat, it's a dynamic the entire fanbase would be wise to remember.
If Morant trusts Kleiman, why wouldn't you?
“The roster we got, I'm fine with,” Morant said. “I feel like we have every piece we need to be a great team in this league and win a lot of championships.”
It's an important statement, beyond simply the confidence and reassurance within it.
Stop viewing this offseason within the context of what the typical NBA title contender might do. The typical contender doesn't feature a nucleus this young.
Don't think like Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas did during the broadcast of the Grizzlies' NBA Summer League game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, when he asked coach Taylor Jenkins if the players realize how small their championship window could be.
“We've got a long runway,” Jenkins responded, and the guess here is he's right.
Sure, anything can happen. Morant's durability could be a long-term issue. Jaren Jackson Jr. could be injury prone. In recent memory, Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder were as good as these Grizzlies were last season with this much youth at the center of the operation.
There's a warning there, of course, because of how that Thunder team ultimately fell apart without ever winning a title. But Oklahoma City also chose not to pay James Harden and didn't get nearly enough in return when trading him to Houston. It chose to keep Russell Westbrook, the player Durant eventually decided he needed to get away from in order to win a title.
In many ways, Durant lost trust in that front office.
This Kleiman-led front office in Memphis has acted pragmatically from the moment it took over ahead of the 2019-20 season. It doesn't seem to love overpaying in free agency, but it loves a good deal. The Grizzlies have made more than 20 trades under Kleiman, despite what their recent inaction might suggest.
If there's another one to be made now, trust that they'll make it. If only because Morant still does.
You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @mgiannotto