The Memphis Grizzlies are trading star forward Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz as part of a larger 8 player deal the team announced Tuesday.
The full deal will see Utah acquire Jackson, Jock Landale, John Konchar, and Vince Williams Jr. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies will bring in 3 first round draft picks, Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, and Georges Niang.
The picks being acquired by Memphis will be the Lakers 2027 1st, the Suns 2031 first rounder, and the most favourable of Utah/Cleveland/Minnesota’s 1st round pick in 2027.
A former defensive player of the year, Jackson currently has $205M remaining on his contract over the next 4 years, plus a $53.5M player option in 2029-30. Still just 26 years old, he’s a massive addition to a Jazz lineup that’s been in rebuild mode for the past several seasons.
Currently averaging 19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game, JJJ figures to join a Utah core that also includes Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, and Walker Kessler.
At 19-29 on the year, and with rumours swirling that Ja Morant could be dealt ahead of the NBA trade deadline, the Jackson deal all but waves the white flag on the 2025-26 campaign by Memphis. With 12 first round picks over the next 7 seasons, the Grizzlies now have the 3rd most draft capital in the NBA, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder and Brooklyn Nets.
By moving Jackson, Memphis has also created a $28.8M trade exception, which would rank as the largest in NBA history. All of those factors bode well for a team that’s been unable to replicate the level of success they had in 2021-22 when they won back to back Southwest Division titles and tied their franchise record of 56 wins.
Up next for Memphis is a Wednesday showdown with the Sacramento Kings, while Utah clashes with Indiana on Tuesday night.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.