Stunning Ja Morant trade report puts Grizzlies at crossroads Spurs must monitor

The Grizzlies are finally ready to end the Ja Morant era after six and a half years of underwhelming results, according to Shams Charania. That's a travesty that should sadden Spurs fans. They've been a thorn in San Antonio's side during the down years we went through, but they were never a threat to win a championship. The longer they sat in that tier, the better.

Unfortunately, they've smartened up. They should have pulled the trigger on a trade for their troubled star when they saw he was unable to keep himself out of the NBA's crosshairs by just doing what every other player in the league does: listen to them. It's really not difficult. So, his efficiency numbers began declining, he kept getting suspended, and he couldn't stay healthy. It's been a nightmare for them.

The Grizzlies were removing themselves from competing

The Grizz had two consecutive years as the number two seed in the West, and they never felt like a real threat. Outside of those seasons, which were three and four years ago, they've hovered around the bottom of the playoff picture, if they could even get in at all.

It's not like they don't have talent on that team, though. The Spurs just lost to them and watched Jaren Jackson Jr. knock in threes like he was a seven-foot Ray Allen in his prime. Cam Spencer was a headache, and Jaylen Wells is a talented young wing, and that doesn't even take the massive Zach Edey and versatile Cedric Coward into account.

There's actually a lot there. So, if they can turn Morant into a couple of solid rotational pieces or draft picks they actually do something with, a turnaround isn't out of the question for this franchise.

Memphis is a part of the Southwest Division, so the Spurs get the pleasure of playing them four times a season. They're already annoying to deal with. We don't need them emerging as another Western Conference elite. There are already too many of them.

San Antonio has plenty of years left of dealing with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Corny Bros, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, Devin Booker and whoever the Suns bring in to run duos with him for a few years (currently Dillon Brooks (???)), and of course, Anthony Edwards and, I guess, Julius Randle.

We don't need to add Jaren Jackson Jr. and X player to the gauntlet. In fact, how about we trade the Memphis Grizzlies to the Eastern Conference for the Washington Wizards? That's the deal I want to see get done.