The game on Beale is now a crossroads. I can confirm Memphis has signaled to multiple teams that it is open to discussing trades for Ja Morant ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline. That message landed hours before tipoff against the NBA’s hottest team, Oklahoma City, and it turned a regular season night into a referendum on the Grizzlies’ future.
The News, The Night, The Stakes
This is their third meeting of the season. The Thunder arrive at 31-7, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fresh off a 46-point masterpiece in Utah on Jan. 7. The Grizzlies are 16-21 and shorthanded again, with Morant out due to a calf issue. Coach Iisalo is in scramble mode. Lineups have been fluid for weeks.
The current betting picture has Oklahoma City favored around 4.5 points. Totals sit near 229.5. The gap reflects form, health, and the simple truth that the Thunder are built to punish mistakes.
Tipoff set for Friday, Jan. 9, 8:00 p.m. ET. Oklahoma City favored around 4.5, total near 229.5.
Memphis has not beaten Oklahoma City in the regular season since 2021. The streak sits at 15 straight.
Oklahoma City has won 15 straight regular season games over Memphis.
Morant, The Pivot, The Price
Here is what this news really means. By opening the door on Morant, Memphis is signaling it will listen, not that a trade is certain. Morant is averaging 19.0 points and 7.6 assists this season. The efficiency dip is real, 40.1 percent from the field and 20.8 percent from three, and suspensions have framed the year. Yet his burst, his rim pressure, his gravity, still carry star value.
If the Grizzlies move him, they change their timeline. They would shift around the core of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, and they would expect a haul. Picks, a lead guard prospect, and a plus starter are the baseline asks you hear when a true lead creator is involved. Teams can talk themselves into ceiling, even when floor questions remain.
Memphis knows this. That is why the timing matters. With the deadline less than a month away, scouts and executives are in arenas already. Every touch becomes tape. Every question about fit becomes leverage.
The Matchup On The Floor
On the court, the Thunder test the places where Memphis is thin. Gilgeous-Alexander’s tempo is a problem for any coverage. He hunts angles, lives at the nail, and makes weak-side help late. Jalen Williams plays off him with sharp cuts and strong drives. Chet Holmgren can stretch to the arc, then turn and challenge shots above the square.
Memphis needs discipline. With Zach Edey, Scotty Pippen Jr., Ty Jerome, Brandon Clarke, and Cedric Coward among the absences, the rotation is lean. That means tighter minutes for the core, and higher foul risk for the bigs. Jaren Jackson Jr. must balance rim defense with spacing on the other end. Desmond Bane has to carry creation, then still have legs for late clock jumpers.
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If the Grizzlies win this, they do it with toughness. They slow the Thunder’s pace, and they win the turnover game. They win the free throw battle. They hit open threes, and they keep OKC to one shot. The margin for error is thin.
What Scouts And Execs Will Clock Tonight
- Bane’s usage and efficiency as a primary creator without Morant
- Jackson’s foul profile against Holmgren’s stretch and roll mix
- Memphis point guard minutes, and who organizes the offense
- Thunder depth, especially shooting around SGA’s drives
This is not only film for tonight. It is a boardroom preview for the next four weeks.
Culture, Identity, And The Room
Memphis has built an identity on swagger and edge. That has weight in a locker room. Trading the face of that era would shake the walls. But the season has demanded hard choices. The injuries, the suspensions, the grind, all of it has exposed how thin the roster is when the stars sit. You can feel it in the building. You can hear it in the way coaches talk about “clean possessions” and “simple plays.”
Oklahoma City does not flinch at noise. The Thunder do not beat themselves. They stack stops, then let SGA solve the math. That is culture too, patient and ruthless.
If Memphis moves Morant, the return must fit Bane and Jackson’s runway. Half-measures waste prime years.
Bottom Line
The scoreboard will tell one story tonight. The deadline whispers tell another. I am told Memphis is listening on Ja Morant, and the timing is not an accident. The Thunder bring clarity. They expose weak spots. They force choices. If the Grizzlies want to pivot, this is the kind of night that makes the decision feel real, and the path forward impossible to ignore.
