Ja Morant Recovery Report: A closer look at Grizzlies star's availability

The Memphis Grizzlies had nothing to play for in the regular-season finale. Dropping the games against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets pretty much locked them up as the eight seed in the Western Conference, so there was no need to risk injury in the final game of the campaign.

With that in mind, the Memphis side ruled out several of their stars for their last encounter of the season against the Dallas Mavericks, knowing that they needed the bottom-seeded Utah Jazz to beat the Timberwolves to move up in the standings.

All-Star guard Ja Morant, who was initially dubbed 'doubtful' before the game, was also rested against the Mavs. However, before the Grizzlies' crucial Play-In tournament matchup against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, Morant has not been listed on the injury report.

According to ESPN, only Zyon Pullin (knee), Jaylen Wells (season-ending knee injury and contusion), and Brandon Clarke (season-ending knee injury) are featured in Memphis's injury report, with all of them listed as 'out'. So it is safe to assume that Morant will be available to start against the Dubs at Chase Center on Tuesday.

The Grizzlies need to beat the Warriors to secure the No. 7 seed and a matchup with the Houston Rockets. Losing Tuesday's game, on the other hand, would force them to go against the winner of the matchup between the Sacramento Kings and the Dallas Mavericks for the No. 8 spot.

If Memphis manages to get the eight seed, they'll face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.

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Ja Morant could be on the trading block

Not so long ago, the Grizzlies were the second seed in the West. Despite the injuries and some inconsistencies on the road, they looked like a powerhouse in the West.

Now, with Taylor Jenkins's surprise firing, it sounds like things aren't going well in Memphis. There had been some rumblings about Ja Morant's discontent with Coach Jenkins and/or the organization.

With that in mind, Zack Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed a trade to alleviate the woes of another underperforming franchise. In this scenario, they would swap point guards with the Atlanta Hawks to land Trae Young:

"If Memphis' late-season swoon leads to an early exit, maybe the same front office that fired its coach in the heat of a playoff race would consider swapping star guards with another stalled franchise," wrote Buckley, who added that the Hawks could do it because "a healthy Morant can be a game-changer, and he's never had as much turnover trouble or as many defensive shortcomings as Young."

There's no doubt that Ja Morant is a game-changer in the league, and Young isn't that far behind. Perhaps all they need is a change of scenery to take the next big leap.