Ja Morant Contract: Grizzlies star eyeing potential max extension next season with surprising twist

Ja Morant will be eligible for a five-year max extension with the Memphis Grizzlies next summer. However, the two-time All-Star is planning to negotiate his next deal without an agent, according to the Daily Memphian.

Morant switched agents last year and was represented by former NBA guard Mike Miller's Life Sports Management. Miller was often seen at Grizzlies games, but they ended the partnership earlier in the offseason.

Morant is looking to follow in the footsteps of Joel Embiid and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander by representing himself.

There have been no updates on where those talks stand, and it's unclear whether the two sides are in active discussions regarding an extension.

The Memphis star guard still has two more guaranteed years left on his deal after next season. He won't be an unrestricted free agent until the summer leading up to the 2028-29 campaign.

Morant has had well-documented off-court troubles and injuries that plagued him in recent years. The Grizzlies may be waiting to see how things play out next season before starting extension talks.

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NBA insider warns 'surprise' Ja Morant trade could be a possibility

After the Desmond Bane trade in June, the Memphis Grizzlies made it clear that they plan to build around Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.

However, as CBS Sports' Sam Quinn wrote this week, the franchise is in a peculiar position. It sits as a firm play-in contender; however, in a stacked Western Conference, it's unclear whether it can compete with the best of the best.

Quinn isn't ruling out a surprise Morant deal before the trade deadline.

"The Grizzlies are currently in no man's land," Quinn wrote on Wednesday. "The Desmond Bane trade offered too much value to decline, but it put the Grizzlies pretty squarely in the Play-In mix. If Ja Morant still looked like the All-NBA force he was in 2022, they'd turn around and use those assets to reload around him.

"Now, as the injuries and off-court incidents stack up, it's less clear that they should do so."

Over the 50 games Morant played last season, he averaged 23.2 points, the fewest since his NBA sophomore year.

It'll be interesting to see if Morant can bounce back and fuel a big 2025-26 season for the Grizzlies.