The Portland Trail Blazers aren’t even a week into the regular season, and they’re already getting a taste of what it’s really like to have guard Ja Morant on the roster in his first season with the team — mostly that he won’t be around for a bit.
“Portland Trail Blazers’ Ja Morant has sustained a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will miss at least four weeks,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote on his official X account on Friday.
Morant hurt himself in a game against his old team, the Memphis Grizzlies, on Thursday night in Portland. Morant was averaging 15.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds through the first four games for the Blazers,
“Trail Blazers guard Ja Morant sustained a left hamstring injury during last night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies,” the Blazers wrote on their official X account. “Imaging revealed a grade two left hamstring strain. Morant will be re-evaluated in four weeks.”
Ja Morant Trade Years in the Making
The Blazers obtained Morant in a trade with the Grizzlies on June 29.
“BREAKING: The Memphis Grizzlies are trading two-time NBA All-Star Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, sources tell ESPN,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote on his official X account.
Morant, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, was once considered the possible future face of the entire league but saw his career derailed by off-court issues and injuries.
In March 2023, Morant was suspended for 8 games after a video surfaced of him brandishing a firearm while intoxicated inside a Denver-area nightclub.
Just 2 months later, Morant was in another video brandishing another firearm and was suspended for 25 games — costing him approximately $7.6 million in salary. The Grizzlies signed Morant to a 5-year, $197.23 million contract extension in July 2022 — a deal that still has 2 years left.
Morant Not Same Player Since Suspensions
In the 3 seasons since his suspensions, Morant has played in only 72 of 246 possible regular-season games — including just 9 games in 2023-24 and 20 games in 2025-26.
When Morant was healthy — and staying out of trouble — he was 1 of the NBA’s most electric and popular players. Morant averaged over 25.0 points per game for 3 consecutive seasons from 2021 to 2024, including a career-high 27.4 points in 2021-22.
Morant was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2020, a 2-time NBA All-Star, and All-NBA Team pick in 2022, when he was also named NBA Most Improved Player.
Ja Morant Injury Update: How Long is Blazers Guard Sidelined?