Former NBA champ drops bombshell claim on Ja Morant’s future

The Memphis Grizzlies have been a playoff team throughout this season. Despite dealing with injuries and some ups and downs, they've stayed firm near the top of the Western Conference.

It surprised many that they decided to fire Taylor Jenkins, especially at this point of the campaign. They were 44-29 at the time of his firing and were the No. 2 seed in the West at one point.

Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins believes Ja Morant is now auditioning for a new team.

"At this point, Ja Morant is auditioning," Perkins said on Monday, via ESPN's 'Get Up.' "This summer, he's eligible for a contract extension."

Morant has had his fair share of ups and downs since he entered the league but most of them have been due to off-court issues or injuries.

He's one of the best young players in the league and one of the new faces of the NBA. Multiple teams could be interested in making a run at him if he were to become available for a trade.

Ja Morant wasn't happy with Taylor Jenkins

The Memphis Grizzlies score the second-most points per game in the league this season (122.2). However, there were rumblings about Ja Morant not being happy with Taylor Jenkins' offensive scheme.

According to ESPN insider Tim MacMahon, the Grizzlies fired Jenkins to "optimize" their franchise player but his departure might not be enough to retain Morant.

"That was a primary motivator for this decision," MacMahon said on Monday, via the 'Hoop Collective' podcast. "Look, there has been noise about Ja being unhappy all season long. There has been noise about could Memphis look to move Ja this summer. More so, could Ja look to get out of Memphis this summer? Could Ja look to force a trade or at least request a trade? Would Memphis shop him this summer?"

The Grizzlies' lack of pick-and-roll action reportedly took a toll on the former No. 2 pick. With all the rumblings about Morant's future and whether the team will look to keep him around, flaming out early in the playoffs could put an end to his tenure in Memphis.