In Portland, Ja Morant has the opportunity to rebuild his career and restore his standing as one of the league’s most explosive players.
However, he is aware that it will be much more difficult to change the impression that so many people have of him as a “bad guy.”
According to ESPN, Morant stated during his first media appearance following his trade to the Trail Blazers:
“Obviously, I’ve done what I’ve done in the past, but it’s been addressed and handled already. I don’t see why, years later, that’s still the topic when nothing’s happened since,” “I feel like if I was that guy you wouldn’t be talking to me now.”
Due to injuries and off-court problems, the two-time All-Star, who is only 26 years old, has witnessed a sharp decline in his price. Over the last three seasons, he has only played 79 games.
Since being selected with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Morant has averaged 22.4 points and 7.4 assists. However, last season, he struggled to remain healthy and shot a career-worst 41 percent from the field (23.5 percent on 3-pointers).
But his reputation also contributed to Memphis’ inability to trade the guard. After displaying a gun on an Instagram live stream, Morant was suspended for 25 games at the beginning of the 2023–2024 season and served an eight-game sentence for “conduct detrimental to the league” in 2023.
Due to a confrontation with coach Tuomas Iisalo during the previous season, Morant was also suspended for one game.
