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Marcus Smart was the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics and one of the team’s better players in its last playoff rum but will now suit up for a new team in the upcoming season. Smart was moved in a three-way trade that sent him to the Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis guard Tyus Jones to the Washington Wizards, and the Wizards shipping Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics.
Marcus Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of The Year and three-time NBA Hustle Award winner delivered his best assist total at 6.3 per game this past season for the Celtics and elevated his scoring during the playoffs. However, he was sent to Memphis with Boston getting the Grizzlies’ 25th pick in exchange along with Golden State Warriors’ protected first-round pick in 2024.
Tyus Jones joins a new-look Wizards team who recently traded star guard Bradley Beal for Chris Paul and Landry Shamet, part of a rebuild for the Washington squad that welcomes a new front office looking to spark a long-discussed rebuild. The Celtics are sending its 35th pick in tonight’s draft to Washington. Much of the details of the trade between the details can be found in his report from ESPN.
As the outlet noted, the Celtics were in talks with the Los Angeles Clippers in hopes of sending guard Malcolm Brogdon, the 30th pick in tonight’s draft to the Wizards, and Porzingis to the Celtics. When the deal didn’t materialize, Memphis came into play.
On Twitter, the discussion of the Marcus Smart trade was largely celebrating the Texas native’s time in Boston and we’ve got some of the reactions below.
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Ja Morant gave his first interview after a video of him surfaced brandishing a gun inside a Colorado nightclub, which led to him being suspended by the Memphis Grizzlies. Sitting down with ESPN’s Jalen Rose, the basketball superstar expressed regret over his decisions and promises to deliver a better image going forward.
Ja Morant, 23, is one of the young faces of the league and clearly is a draw no matter what arena he’s playing in. His electrifying style of play and passion on the court became coupled with troubling allegations of violence and negative actions over the past year. Ahead of the interview, Rose, himself a product of humble beginnings during his rise in the NBA, issued a stern but brotherly warning to Morant.
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“Honestly, I feel like we put ourselves in that situation with our past mistakes, and now it’s only right that we focus in and lock in on being smarter and more responsible, holding each other accountable for everything,” Morant said Wednesday during an interview with ESPN’s Jalen Rose, referring to his inner circle. “I feel like in the past we didn’t know what was at stake. And now finally me having that time to realize everything, have that time alone, I realize that now.
“I realize what I have to lose, and for us as a group, what we have to lose. It’s pretty much just that being more responsible, more smarter and staying away from all the bad decisions.”
Good on Ja Morant for realizing his mistakes and being willing to grow from them.
Morant will return to the Grizzlies at the conclusion of his eight-game suspension handed down from the NBA.
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Police in Colorado have stated that Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant will not face criminal charges over flashing a gun in a social media video last weekend.
On Wednesday afternoon (March 8), the Glendale, Colorado Police Department announced that after finishing their investigation into Ja Morant after being alerted to an Instagram Live video he streamed showing him flashing a firearm while in Shotgun Willie’s strip club, that they would not file charges.
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“GPD was not able to determine that probable cause existed for the filing of any charges,” the press release partially stated. “In this case, it should be noted that on the night in question, the GPD did not receive any calls for service at the nightclub regarding a weapon of any type. Subsequently, no disturbances were reported, and no citizens or patrons of the club came forward to make a complaint. The investigation also concluded that no one was threatened or menaced with the firearm and in fact, no firearm was ever located.”
Morant was spotted on his Instagram Live flashing the weapon while in the club early Saturday morning (March 5) hours after his Grizzlies team lost to the hometown Nuggets. The club is five miles from Denver’s home stadium Ball Arena. After the footage was released, the Grizzlies announced that the 23-year-old would not be available for the team’s next two games against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers. So far, the team has stated publicly that he is to miss the team’s next four games at least.
Morant deactivated his Twitter and Instagram accounts that Saturday as the news spread and issued a statement saying he was stepping away. ”I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being,” he said.
The trouble may not be over for Ja Morant, as the NBA has been investigating the incident in addition to others he’s been involved in. In addition, while Nike issued a statement of support for the two-time All-Star, Powerade has taken steps to take down its ads featuring Morant on its website and social media according to reports.
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Photo: Justin Ford / Getty
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Ja Morant was thought to be returning to the Memphis Grizzlies after serving a widely reported two-game suspension after he was seen brandishing a gun on Instagram Live. Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said that a timetable for Morant’s return has yet to be established as the team continues to address the needs of its superstar player.
As reported by ESPN, Coach Jenkins spoke to the media before the Grizzlies took on the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday (March 6). In the pre-game press conference, Jenkins said that the team is focused on getting Morant the help he needs to address his off-court issues while also pledging to keep him accountable for his actions.
“There’s not a definitive timeline, we have said that it would be at least two games,” Jenkins said to one reporter. “We’re taking it one day at a time, this is a healing process.”
He added, “He’s [Morant] understands that he’s made some difficult decisions and poor choices in the past that he has to account for, that’s what you saw in the statement, it speaks for itself.”
Morant issued a public statement apologizing for his actions and adding that he’s seeking help with stress and other concerns.
“I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire organization for letting you down,” the statement said. “I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
Ja Morant remains the face of the Grizzles franchise and one of the NBA’s brightest young stars. At just 23 years of age, Jenkins and the Grizzlies’ front office appear committed to helping their player through his recent woes.
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Written By D.L. Chandler , Senior Editor Posted 41 mins ago @dlchandler123 D.L. Chandler is a veteran of the Washington D.C. metro writing scene, working as a journalist, reporter, and culture critic. Initially freelancing at iOne Digital in 2010, he officially joined the iOne team in 2017 where he currently works as a Senior Editor […]
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Ja Morant, the high-flying superstar for the Memphis Grizzlies, is in a lot of legal hot water after facing allegations of punching a teen after a pickup basketball game. Now, new details in the case reveal that Morant allegedly flashed the teen with a handgun.
The Washington Post broke the news of new details of the case mounting against Ja Morant, and the outlet also connects the aforementioned gun-flashing incident with a string of reported negative encounters some have had with Morant and his associates.
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New details are emerging in the case of Morant, 23, who is facing a lawsuit after admitting to hitting a teen in the face in retaliation after a pickup game at his home July 26, 2022. Now, the alleged victim, who was 17 at the time, claims that Morant flashed a handgun during their encounter.
It appears that a hard pass from the teen was tossed at Morant which struck him in the face, leading to him allegedly punching the teen. The flashing occurred after the hit according to reports. Morant reportedly told police that the teen threatened to return to the residence and “light this place up like fireworks.”
The new allegations connected to the fight emerged as a result of a lawsuit brought by the teen. Morant has been mum about the matter and the Grizzlies organization declined to comment.
Ja Morant has not been formally charged.
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Source: Justin Ford / Getty / Ja Morant / Shannon Sharpe
Shannon Sharpe has some advice for Memphis Grizzlies’ superstar Ja Morant after his entourage got into a bit of alleged trouble.
Allegedly, some of Ja Morant’s boys “aggressively confronted” some Indiana Pacers staff following a Grizzlies win on January 29.
Sharpe spoke on the alleged altercation on a Monday episode of Undisputed with his co-host Skip Bayless. “Ja is an outstanding basketball player,” Sharpe begins. “Ja did everything he could to lift himself and his family out of this type of environment and to get away from this, and for some reason, he wants to surround himself with these type of people. Why? Bruh, you not hard. That’s not your life. People in that life would give anything to be in your life.”
Before the altercation, tempers flared on the court, with Morant and Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard getting into a heated exchange during the third quarter. Morant reportedly said he “checked [Nembard’s] temperature” and that “he didn’t have a fever.”
Per The Athletic’s reporting, someone in Morant’s entourage inside an SUV pointed a red laser at the Indiana travel crew. They also claimed Morant was allegedly in the vehicle and that someone pointed a firearm at them from the SUV.
The Pacers’ staffers declined to file a report about the incident out of fear of retaliation, so the organization did it for them.
Following its own investigation, the NBA said it “could not corroborate that any individual threatened others with a weapon.” But, a member of Morant’s crew was banned from FedEx Arena for a year.
Morant spoke about the situation in a tweet calling cap on the situation.
Shannon Sharpe Wants Ja Morant To Stop Pretending To Be Tough
Sharpe also touched on the tweet, adding, “Stop pretending… You’re not gonna do nothing,” he continued. “What you’re gonna do is get yourself in trouble — [and] put yourself and your family in harm’s way — when you don’t have to. Just play basketball.”
“You pretend like you’re hard, but you’re not, Ja,” he added. “You’re opening yourself up. You’re putting yourself in a position you don’t even need to be in. And for what? Street cred? Come on, bruh.”
Twitter chimed in on the situation, agreeing with Uncle Shannon, pointing out that Morant needs to focus on his play and stop trying to be Larry Hoover.
You can see the reactions in the gallery below.
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Photo: Justin Ford / Getty
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