The price of imprudence was high. It cost the Memphis Grizzlies nearly 10 billion won.

Local media outlet ESPN published an article on Monday (Aug. 18) that answered a number of questions about the 25-game suspension he received from the NBA.

Morant was suspended for 25 games by the NBA after two incidents in which he displayed a firearm during live broadcasts on social media. The NBA Office of the Commissioner quickly launched an investigation and suspended Morant for 25 games next season. If he believes the punishment is unfair, he has one month to appeal.

The 25-game suspension is the second-largest since Adam Silver took over in February 2014. A 30-game suspension was handed down to Miles Bridges (Charlotte) in April after he was arrested by police for domestic violence.

Silver said of Morant: “I was embarrassed that he did the same thing when he had already served a suspension. It was reckless and irresponsible behavior and unacceptable. I think the suspension was appropriate because it was an incident that could be emulated by fans. However, we also recognize that this was a safety issue and not a legal penalty.”

Morant will be unable to play in the regular season until at least December. He will also be ineligible for preseason games, but will have access to the team’s training facilities. As a condition of his suspension, he is banned from the stadium two hours before kickoff.

The monetary cost is also significant. Morant was due a $33.5 million salary for the 2023-2024 season. He will not receive $300,000 per game, totaling $7.5 million for 25 games, and Powerade, his sponsor, has quickly moved to “cut him off,” banning him from TV ads, which could cost the company more than $10 billion. Unlike Powerade, Nike reportedly plans to continue sponsoring Morant.

The fallout for the Memphis Grizzlies has also been significant. Morant was a key contributor last season, averaging 26.2 points, 1.5 3-pointers, 5.9 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.1 steals in 61 games. He was named Rookie of the Year, MIP, and All-NBA Second Team, so he has a solid future ahead of him. Starting next season, Morant will not be eligible for any major awards as he must play at least 65 games to be considered.

Memphis plans to give backup point guard Tyreese Jones a bigger role. Jones averaged 10.3 points, 1.5 3-pointers, 2.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 24.2 minutes in 80 games last season, his first season after signing a two-year, $30 million contract. It was the first time Jones had scored in double figures since his debut in the 2015-2016 season.토토사이트

According to ESPN, “Jones has been the best backup point guard in the league. He also proved valuable when he started. He started 22 games last season, averaging 16.4 points on 41.5 percent shooting from 3-point range, 8.1 assists and 1.8 steals. Memphis is 34-15 in games with Jones starting over the last two seasons. However, the team will need to add a backup point guard to replace Jones. It remains to be seen if Memphis will select a guard in the draft or sign a free agent.”