Ja Morant won't be leaving the Memphis Grizzlies anytime soon if general manager Zach Kleiman has any say about it. Because the offseason hasn't officially started quite yet, Kleiman can't say he'll offer Morant a super max contract extension, but he can hint at what the plans are.

“Whatever I’m allowed to say under NBA rules here, I’ll say," Kleiman smirked. "He is of course a cornerstone of this franchise.”

Kleiman also said that the knee injury Morant suffered in the second round of the playoff is "non-surgical". He added Morant should make a full recovery “well before the start of the next season”.

The Golden State Warriors eliminated the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies after a hard-fought six-game series. That didn't keep Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks' confidence from overflowing, however.

“They know that we’re going to come every single year,” Brooks said after the season-ending loss in Game 6. “We’re young, and they’re getting old. So, they know we’re coming every single year.”

Stephen Curry seemed amused by Brooks' thoughts.

“He’s said a lot of crazy things,” Curry told The Athletic. “He called himself a dynasty already, so you’ve got to figure. On to the next round. Western Conference finals, we’re back. Let’s goooo!”

Curry's longtime teammate Draymond Green said the young Grizzlies earned his respect.

“That’s a group of young guys who — obviously, you get to the business side of things, and you’ve got to keep that together — but that’s a group of young guys that are hungry," Green said. "They are talented. They are athletic. They got it. You know, it will be good to see their progression over these next few years and where they can take it, because that’s an incredible young team. You know, they can be special. They can be really special.”

Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) and Dan Feldman of NBC’s Pro Basketball Talk (@DanFeldmanNBA) discuss the second round of the playoffs and the offseason to come.

They discuss the phenomenal Bucks/Celtics series, negotiations with James Harden and Kyrie Irving, Heat/Sixers, Suns/Mavs, Warriors/Grizzlies and much more.

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Zach Kleiman of the Memphis Grizzlies has been named the 2021-22 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year.

This is the first NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award for Kleiman, who has led Basketball Operations for Memphis for the last three years. Kleiman, 33, is the youngest recipient of the award, which has been presented annually since the 1972-73 season. He also becomes the second person to earn the honor with the Grizzlies, joining Jerry West (2003-04).

Kleiman received 16 of 29 first-place votes and earned 85 total points from a panel of team basketball executives across the NBA. 

Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman and Chicago Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas tied for second place with 27 points each.  

Phoenix Suns General Manager James Jones and Miami Heat President Pat Riley tied for fourth place with 26 points each.  

While Ja Morant is expected to miss the remainder of the playoffs for the Memphis Grizzlies due to a right knee injury, there is some good news. Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins says Morant won't need surgery after suffering a bone bruise.

"Everything I hear is non-surgical," Jenkins said.

Jenkins added that the Grizzlies medical staff said Morant's current injury is unrelated to the right knee injury the star guard suffered late in the regular season. Despite that, Jenkins reaffirmed that Morant is expected to miss the rest of the postseason.

The series between the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies is the most-watched matchup of the conference semifinals.

The Warriors' Game 3 win was viewed by an average of 6.09 million viewers, with Game 2 averaging 5.32 million.

The series opener averaged 7.71 million viewers. 

The six other playoff games last week averaged over 4 million viewers. 

Ja Morant has been diagnosed with a bone bruise and is considered doubtful for the remainder of the playoffs.

Morant underwent an MRI on Sunday but didn't disclose the injury until after Game 4. The Memphis Grizzlies have contended that Morant suffered the injury when Jordan Poole inadvertently grabbed his right knee. 

The Grizzlies face a potential elimination in Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors.

Memphis lost 101-98 to the Warriors on Game 4 without Morant. 

Ja Morant was ruled out by the Memphis Grizzlies for Game 4 with a knee injury.

Morant underwent an MRI on Sunday, but the Grizzlies have declined to disclose the results. Morant is officially listed as day-to-day.

Tyus Jones started for the Grizzlies in place of Morant.

Morant is the eighth All-Star to miss at least one game during the playoffs. 

Dillon Brooks said he didn't intend to injure Gary Payton II during the opening minutes of Game 2. 

"It's in the past," Brooks said after the Grizzlies' shootaround before Game 4. "I didn't mean for it to hurt somebody. If I were to take it back in a moment, I would. But it's in the past."

Brooks also said he did not understand what Steve Kerr meant when the Golden State head coach said that Brooks "broke the code" by fouling an airborne player.

"No reaction," Brooks said when asked what he thought of Kerr's pointed comments. "I don't really even know what that means. It's the playoffs. Every bucket, every possession, every play counts. So I didn't understand what he meant by that."

Ja Morant is likely to miss Game 4 against the Golden State Warriors due to a right knee injury, according to Taylor Jenkins.

Morant suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of Game 3.

The Grizzlies are down 2-1 in the series.