Ja Morant may be on the sidelines to start next season, but he’s already a fan of the way his team is shaping up.
The star point guard, who was suspended 25 games to begin next season because of an second Instagram video in which he brandished an alleged gun, is loving the roster decisions the Grizzlies have made in free agency, which began on Friday at 6 p.m.
Following news that star shooting guard and Morant co-star Desmond Bane signed a five-year $207 million max contract extension with the Grizzlies, the guard was jubilant.
“Monyunnn,” he tweeted, adding a money bag emoji as he tagged Tandem Sports and Entertainment, which represents both Bane and Morant.
When Morant learned that Memphis was adding former MVP Derrick Rose, a player Morant has been compared to throughout his career, he was similarly excited, tweeting two emojis above a picture of Rose and Morant.
It was of a person in a yoga pose and a rose.
Rose, whose $15.6 million player option was declined by the Knicks, figures to be a veteran presence in the Memphis locker room as the team looks to regroup on the heels of Morant’s suspension — signing a two-year, $6.5 million deal, Stadium reported.
The Grizzlies finished second in the Western Conference last season before losing to the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
Bane has emerged as a star since he was selected No. 30 overall by the Grizzlies in the 2020 draft, averaging 21.5 points and 4.4 assists last year on 40 percent 3-point shooting.
With Morant out for nearly a third of the season, Memphis is likely to rely heavily on contributions from Bane, reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr., and recently acquired guard Marcus Smart.
Rose, 34, who hasn’t made an All-Star team since he tore his ACL in 2012, saw his playing time decrease drastically last season, falling almost entirely out of the Knicks’ rotation before year’s end.
