MORANT TO MIAMI?

THE Heat haven’t nabbed a superstar since Jimmy Butler ditched the Philadelphia 76ers and signed with Miami in 2019, giving birth to the now-iconic “Tobias Harris over me?” quote.

And yes, I don’t consider general manager Pat Riley trading for Kyle Lowry in exchange for Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa in 2021 as a needle-mover, as by then the Toronto Raptors legend had seen better days and was actually good for one season in South Beach.

Which brings us to Ja Morant potentially forcing himself out of the Memphis Grizzlies and onto the waiting arms of The Godfather and our kababayan, coach Erik Spoelstra.

The former would-be face of the NBA was suspended for one game for "conduct detrimental to the team" last Nov. 2 following a tense postgame exchange with Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo after a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Morant situation in Memphis actually kind of reminds me of the stink Butler did when he didn’t get his contract extension with the Heat last season, which ultimately led to his messy trade to the Golden State Warriors.

The Heat didn’t actually get dollar-for-dollar value in the Butler trade (A washed-up Andrew Wiggins and a first round draft pick that turned out to be Kasparas Jakučionis) to the Warriors, so me thinks it’s about time Miami gets a sprinkling of good karma and finally lands a bona fide superstar.

But as much as I like Morant’s game and I really believe he’s a cross between Allan Iverson and Stephon Marbury, just like those two superstar point guards, the second overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft just has too much baggage that even the Heat—famous for rehabilitating players with off-court issues—probably can’t handle.

Even before his recent altercation with Iisalo, the 6’2” high leaper has had a laundry list of suspensions. In April 2025, the NBA fined him $75,000 for an inappropriate gun gesture during a game.

Around two years earlier, in May 2023, the 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year was suspended 25 games by the NBA for a second social media video involving a gun. That followed an eight-game suspension for Morant’s first social media video involving a gun in March 2023.

Aside from the NBA suspensions, the 26-year-old has also found himself in the crosshairs of law enforcement. In July 2022, Morant allegedly threatened mall security, and while no arrests were made, a police report was eventually filed.

In the same month, he also allegedly punched a teenager and flashed a handgun during a pickup game. Again, no criminal charges were filed, and Morant's lawyers claimed self-defense in a resulting civil lawsuit.

In January 2023, Morant’s entourage allegedly threatened the Indiana Pacers team with a red laser from a vehicle they were riding. No evidence was eventually found by the NBA to corroborate that a weapon was threatened.

It’s a pity cause Morant has earned several NBA awards in his brief five-year professional basketball career, including Rookie of the Year in 2020 and Most Improved Player in 2022. He is also a two-time All-Star in 2022 and 2023.

Aside from those accolades, he was also named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2022 and NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2020.

His career numbers in the NBA are also nothing to sneeze at, and as of Nov. 4, 2025, Morant has averaged 22.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.4 assists, a steal, and 0.3 blocks with a 46.8% clip from the field, 77% from the free throw line, and 31.3% from 3-point land in 313 games in the Association.

Without the rap sheet, I would trade for Morant in a heartbeat, but that’s the rub—he’s just too much of a loose cannon, and I don’t think Riley and Spoelstra can totally depend on him on and off the court.

Honestly, if force comes to shove and the Heat don’t really improve this season, I’m willing to let go of perhaps either Nikola Jovic or Kel’el Ware, Norman Powell, and a first-round draft pick for Morant.

I’d be amenable to that, as long as Morant leaves his fake grenade and handgun popping gestures and other shenanigans in the Volunteer State.

2025-11-04T16:14:45Z