Tee Morant drew a line between the city of Memphis and the Memphis Grizzlies front office on his Tee'd Up podcast, in comments The Commercial Appeal's Damichael Cole reported Monday.
The June 29 trade that sent his son Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers left the family with no hard feelings toward the city. The two teams meet three times this season.
Tee Morant said his issue was with the organization's decision, not Memphis itself.
"I don't know about you, but I never had a real bad day in Memphis," Tee Morant said. "I don't have a bad thing to say about Memphis because it wasn't Memphis that traded him, and we don't trade Memphis. It was the organization that felt like they was going down another path, and I guess we didn't belong."
"It's no hard feelings or whatever," Tee Morant added, "but when we get on that [expletive] court, you better know it's a reckoning."
Ja Morant's Memphis Exit Followed Months of Trade Questions
Memphis sent Morant to Portland for forwards Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, a deal ESPN's Shams Charania first reported.
The Grizzlies also received $1 million in cash considerations, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported. No draft picks changed hands.
Memphis drafted Morant second overall out of Murray State in 2019. Over seven seasons with the franchise, he averaged 22.4 points and 7.4 assists. He was the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year, the 2021-22 Most Improved Player, and a two-time All-Star.
On Jan. 9, Charania reported that the Grizzlies were entertaining offers for Morant for the first time.
Nine days later in London, Morant had 24 points and 13 assists in a 126-109 win over the Orlando Magic in his first game back from a right calf injury.
"I've got a logo on my back, so that should tell you exactly where I want to be," Morant said that night.
Morant was pointing to the Grizzlies logo tattooed on his back. Memphis held on to him through the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
He last played for Memphis on Jan. 21 against the Atlanta Hawks. A sprained UCL in his left elbow followed, and the Grizzlies shut him down March 24.
Morant appeared in 20 games in 2025-26 and averaged 19.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 8.1 assists. Memphis finished 25-57.
Grizzlies Have Moved Into a New Era
Desmond Bane went to the Orlando Magic in June 2025, and Jaren Jackson Jr. went to the Utah Jazz in February.
In June, Memphis took Cameron Boozer with the third overall pick.
At Portland's media day on Sept. 28, Morant said the old incidents kept getting brought up for as long as he played in Memphis.
Of the two forwards Memphis got back, Grant is 32 and holds a $36 million player option for 2027-28 after averaging 18.6 points in Portland last season. Murray, 25, can become a restricted free agent next summer.
Portland reached the playoffs at 42-40 by winning a play-in game at Phoenix on April 14. As the No. 7 seed, the Trail Blazers lost in five games to second-seeded San Antonio, which closed the series 114-95 on April 28.
Ja Morant Will Face Memphis Three Times
That Portland roster already had Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, and Scoot Henderson in the backcourt.
In the preseason opener Oct. 7 against the Golden State Warriors, Morant had 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists in 19 minutes. He shot 3-of-8 and committed 4 turnovers.
On Monday, with Lillard resting, Morant started alongside Holiday in a 119-66 win over the London Lions at Moda Center.
He had 5 points on 2-of-6 shooting, 5 assists, and 3 steals in 14 minutes.
"I did pretty good," Morant said afterward, according to Blazer's Edge. "I was listening [to the coaches]."
Memphis gets its first look at Morant in Portland on Thursday, Oct. 29, with tip-off at 9 p.m. CT.
He comes back to FedExForum for a 4:30 p.m. CT game on Saturday, Feb. 6, and the teams play there again two nights later, Monday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. CT.