Jaren Jackson Jr. trades for Jazz, Grizzlies

On Tuesday afternoon, The Memphis Grizzlies have decided to shake things up with trade Jaren Jackson Jr. Utah Jazz in a deal centered on a future capital draft. The news was first reported ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania on X, formerly Twitter.

Full details of the trade are as follows, per Brett Siegel.

grizzlies:

Mr Walter Clayton

Jr. F Taylor Hendricks

F Kyle Anderson

F Georges Niang

2027 MIN/CLE/UTA Peak 1st round (more favorable)

2027 LAL 1st round selection

PHKS 2031 Peak for the 1st round

jazz:

F Jaren Jackson Jr.

M/F John Konchar

C Jock Landale

F Vince Williams Jr.

Let’s take a look at how the two sides fared in the deal.

Grizzlies trade grade

Jackson Jr. is now the second member of the Grizzlies’ once-young core to be moved in the last year, as Desmond Bain was sent to the Orlando Magic in exchange for four first-round picks during the offseason.

Charania also noted that “the Grizzlies also made a whopping $28.8 million trade exception in this deal — the largest ever in the NBA,” citing a report from Bobby Marks.

The Grizzlies now have a whopping 13 first-round picks in the next seven NBA drafts, tied for the most in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Brooklyn Nets, per Marks.

That being the case, the Grizzlies seem to be going all in on starting and rebuilding, and they’ve done a great job of acquiring significant future assets in doing so. Clayton Jr. is also an intriguing young player who recently played a major role in the Florida Gators’ run to a national title.

While it remains to be seen what will happen with Ja Morant now, the Grizzlies have done a great job of choosing a clear direction and giving themselves future flexibility.

Grade: A

Jazz’s merchant class

It’s hard to know exactly what Danny Ainge was thinking when he made this trade with the Grizzlies.

Jackson Jr. will certainly help the Jazz a lot in the short term, especially on the defensive end of the floor, where he is considered one of the best in the NBA. The tandem of him and Lauri Markkanen figures to fit in well with the current trend of positionless basketball, and the Jazz didn’t have to part with any significant parts of their current team in the process.

Still, first-round picks are an extremely valuable commodity in the NBA, and parting ways with three of them for a player like Jackson Jr. who probably won’t get much better than he is now is pretty baffling. Of course, it helps that the picks aren’t theirs, and the team hopes they can turn themselves into a great team after this trade, but they have the unfortunate tag of playing in a very competitive Western Conference.

Overall, this trade could end up being significant for Utah if things don’t go according to plan.

Grade: C