Jazz Trade For Jaren Jackson Jr. To Bolster Defense

The Utah Jazz show some surprise aggression on the trade market by trading for Jaren Jackson Jr.

The Jazz got Jackson Jr., along with Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr. The Memphis Grizzlies got Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three future first-round picks. The Grizzlies are now tied with the Brooklyn Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder for the most draft picks in the next seven drafts.

Jackson Jr. was drafted with the fourth pick in the 2018 NBA draft. In 2023, he won Defensive Player of the Year and made his first career All-Star appearance. He also made the All-Star game two seasons later with a 22 points per game average. 

A once-promising Grizzlies core has quickly deteriorated as they are currently the No. 11 seed. Ja Morant trade rumors have been a running story for the Grizzlies recently. The Jackson Jr. trade could signal a commitment to rebuilding.

The Jazz get one of the best defenders in basketball for almost nothing. None of the picks they gave up are super valuable. They gave up the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round pick, a pick swap in 2027 where the Grizzlies will now get the most favorable of the Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers or Minnesota Timberwolves picks and the Phoenix Suns’ 2031 pick. The Jazz will get the second-best pick in that 2027 swap. The Suns will get the least favorable pick in that swap. The projected order would be Grizzlies getting the Jazz pick, Jazz getting the Cavaliers pick, and Suns getting the Timberwolves pick. 

The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. EST. The Grizzlies will be looking for a trade partner for Morant. The Jazz could look to trade Lauri Markkanen to move in a more defensive direction, but there are no rumors of a move as of now.