After a disappointing first round playoff exit to the Lakers, the Grizzlies are in a state of turbulence.
Dillon Brooks is reportedly on his way out of Memphis after talking a lot of talk but failing to walk the walk against L.A. GM Zach Kleiman said the team is planning on being "very aggressive" in the trade market this offseason. Team leadership has also come under fire after failing to live up to high postseason expectations.
MORE: Does Memphis have the right core around Ja Morant?
On Monday, things took another twist after a cryptic tweet by one of the Grizzlies' biggest stars.
2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. sent out a tweet to his 235.5 thousand followers that some interpreted as a possible farewell message.
"Memphis I’m forever grateful," he wrote.
Memphis I’m forever grateful.
— JJJ (@jarenjacksonjr) May 1, 2023
The replies were immediately flooded with Memphis fans trying to persuade him to stay with the team. Many fans from other teams also chimed in attempting to lure him to their cities.
But don't panic, Grizzlies fans. It doesn't look like JJJ is going anywhere.
On Tuesday, he took to Twitter to clarify his original message, simply adding "to be here" to his previous tweet.
to be here
— JJJ (@jarenjacksonjr) May 2, 2023
It sparked a collective sigh of relief around Memphis, including among his teammates. Desmond Bane joked that Jackson Jr. "bout broke the internet" with his initial post, to which he replied with laughing emojis.
You bout broke the internet yesterday 😂
— Desmond Bane (@DBane0625) May 2, 2023
The Grizzlies' superstar point guard Ja Morant also weighed in, joining Bane in marveling at the social media chaos.
no cap 😂
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) May 2, 2023
Now that Jackson Jr. has reaffirmed his commitment to Memphis, we can safely dismiss the commotion as a false alarm. That can only be good news for Bane, Morant and the rest of Grizzlies Nation.
It would have taken a massive offer for Memphis to part with its star forward. The 23-year-old is coming off the best season of his NBA career so far, in which he averaged 18.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.0 steal per game. He beat out Milwaukee's Brook Lopez and Cleveland's Evan Mobley to win his first-career DPOY award.
