EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLAS VEGAS -- Ja Morant said Saturday that his offseason trade from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Portland Trail Blazers will give him the chance to "start fresh" and prove that his "bad guy" image is a misconception.The two-time All-Star guard made four trips to the playoffs during his seven-year run with the Grizzlies, but his time in Memphis was complicated by a pair of gun-related suspensions in 2023."What would I like cleared up? I think you know the answer to that. My image. [That] I'm a bad guy," Morant said in his first public comments since the June trade. "I'm Ja. I've done what I've done in the past, but it's been addressed and handled already. I don't see why, years later, that's still the topic when nothing's happened since. If I was that guy, y'all wouldn't be talking to me now. I wouldn't be here."Morant served an eight-game ban in March 2023 for conduct detrimental to the league and a 25-game suspension to open the 2023-24 season, both of which stemmed from incidents of him displaying a firearm on an Instagram livestream. The Grizzlies suspended him for one game in November because of a heated confrontation with coach Tuomas Iisalo after a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.The Blazers traded forwards Jerami Grant and Kris Murray for the 26-year-old Morant, who was the second pick in the 2019 NBA draft. Morant joins a talented and guard-heavy roster that includes Damian Lillard, Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe."New home. New team. New organization," Morant said, wearing a black polo shirt with the team's logo as he addressed a handful of reporters at Las Vegas Summer League. "I get to show the fans in Portland a different Ja. It's like starting all over again. ... Over the years, I've grown a lot and learned a lot. My mindset changed. I go into things differently now. I feel more mature, and I'm ready to work."Morant, a South Carolina native who attended college in Kentucky, has some familiarity with his new home across the country: The Nike-sponsored athlete has made regular summer trips to the Portland area to visit the sneaker company's headquarters, and he said he once braved the Pacific Northwest rain to go fishing."[Portland] is a very quiet spot, it's nice," he said. "I don't know if you all have been paying attention to me lately, but I've been kind of into nature. I feel like that's a bonus. I'm not hiking, but I go walking, ride a bike, I've been kayaking. Just being grateful for being alive and the things I do have and my family. And to now have a fresh start. It's just mind clearing."Morant averaged 19.5 points and 8.1 assists per game last season, but he was limited to just 20 games due to injuries. He said that his "body feels great," adding that he spent the last four months "making sure I was in shape and working" as trade rumors swirled.While Portland appears to have a backcourt logjam, Morant said he was willing to start or come off the bench, and he expressed excitement about playing with the likes of Lillard, Holiday and Avdija. Morant has spent time with several of his new teammates this week in Las Vegas."All those guys will most likely unlock new parts of my game, and I'll do the same for them," Morant said. "I don't think it will be a problem having us on the floor or making sure minutes match or anything. We're all very unselfish."Morant expressed no ill will towards the Grizzlies, saying that Memphis will "always be home for me" and noting he is "still connected" with many of his former teammates.Since the Grizzlies emerged as one of the league's most promising young cores during the 2022 playoffs, they have traded Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, and watched Dillon Brooks depart via free agency."[The reaction from Memphis] was all love," Morant said. "It's some [fans] that might say bad things about me. I don't look at it like it's hate or anything. I just look at it as tough love from a family member. I have family members that do the same thing. I love Memphis, I love the fans, I love my teammates. ... It definitely was some good years."
