Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo provides update on Ja Morant’s status for London clash with Magic

Ja Morant could be set to make his much-awaited return to action on the European stage.

The Memphis Grizzlies superstar made the trip with the team to Europe for their two-game series against the Orlando Magic in Berlin, Germany, and London, England.

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The two-time NBA All-Star has missed the previous six games with a calf contusion, but there is optimism that he could feature against the Magic on Sunday at the O2 Arena in London.

In an exclusive interview for talkSPORT, NBA insider Marc Stein spoke to Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo about the availability of their star guard.

“I think there’s a good possibility [that Morant features],” Iisalo told Stein and talkSPORT.

“He went through the whole practice today. He was even able to go full speed [for] periods.

“Now it’s just about seeing where he’s at tomorrow morning, how he recovers and if he feels comfortable going in.”

In the 2025-26 regular season, Morant has been in and out of the lineup dealing with injuries.

The 26-year-old has featured in just 18 of 40 games, in which he has averaged 19.0 points – his lowest since his rookie campaign – 3.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and a steal per outing.

Trade chatter continues

Morant made headlines earlier in the week after a social media video showed him involved in a heated discussion with his teammate Vince Williams Jr.

Teammates attempted to intervene, but the pair kept jawing back-and-forth with each other.

This interaction just added more fuel to the fire surrounding the guard’s future in Memphis.

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In Morant’s NBA career, he has been suspended on multiple occasions for incidents involving guns, one of which saw him handed a 25-game ban.

However, with the team reportedly growing tired of his behavior lately, the Grizzlies are now thought to be entertaining trade offers.

Amid all this chatter over their star guard’s future, Iisalo shared how it has impacted the team.

“I think we are focused on the things that we can control,” he told Stein. “That’s one of the things with the NBA – there’s always going to be a lot of outside noise.

“But it doesn’t really affect our work on a daily basis.

“We’ve just kept ploughing forward and keep doing the work, have great focus and great effort when we’re here at practice.

The Grizzlies enter their clash with the Magic in London with a 17-23 record, which has them sitting 11th in the Western Conference standings, .5 games back from a Play-In tournament spot.

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