Ja Morant — in Berlin, a comfortable 4,800 miles away from Memphis, where rumors of his imminent trade from the Grizzlies are swirling — addressed those rumors for the first time, mainly with a series of short answers.

Asked his reaction to the reports that Memphis is listening to calls to trade him before the Feb. 5 deadline, Morant said he would have to "live with it," reports Joe Varden of The Athletic, who was in Berlin (where the Grizzlies will face the Magic on Thursday). Here are a couple of other highlights from the press conference, as reported by Varden.

Asked if he expected to be with the Grizzlies beyond the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 5, Morant quipped: "I'm the only one you asked that question to?"

...the NBA universe would like to know his reaction to potentially being traded, and asked him to compare the situation to the other challenges he's faced during his career, Morant called it "different."

Then there were questions about Morant's cryptic social media posts.

Asked about his cryptic social media posts in the wake of the reports about his future in Memphis, and the online criticisms of his posts (he's been called "Emo Ja," and he made the reference himself as part of his answer), Morant said: "Yeah, I see it. It's cool. Funny."

Morant has already been ruled out of Thursday's game against the Magic in Berlin due to a calf contusion, although he said in the press conference that he feels good. It is possible that Morant will play in the second game of the European series in London over the weekend.

Memphis is reportedly listening to trade offers for the 26-year-old two-time All-Star, although the market for him is limited due to concerns about availability (he has not played in six consecutive games since 2023), his ego and baggage, the $87 million he is owed for the two seasons after this one, and whether he still can consistently be the explosive driver and scorer that made him the most dynamic player in the league four or five years ago. There are teams willing to take a chance on him — the Heat and Raptors are the most mentioned, with reports he would like to go to Miami — but the return for Memphis will not be much more than the expiring contracts Atlanta got back recently for Trae Young.

Whenever that trade goes down, it likely won't happen until the Grizzlies get back from their European adventure, at least. And it may well drag out closer to the deadline.