Why Grizzlies Don’t Worry About Celtics Trade Rumors

Whisper linking Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Boston Celtics NBA trade rumors have been circulating, but Memphis Grizzlies fans can rest easy. A clear examination of the roster composition, financial logistics and draft capital highlights how the potential trade is fundamentally frivolous, little more than wishful thinking. Derrick White and Payton Pritchardplus draft picks just aren’t in the budget, even if Zach Kleiman would step down at an All-NBA level price.

Financial realities create immediate roadblocks on any potential deal with two teams. To match Jackson Jr.’s salary, Boston would have to include Derrick White and Peyton Pritchard. Both guards are under contract through 2027-28, giving them three more years of team control beyond this season. While those contracts provide value, the Celtics would be reducing their backcourt depth for a positional upgrade that doesn’t fit their real needs.

Kleiman, meanwhile, would likely decline interest in redirecting a portion of that package to Anferna Simmons, who is expected to be on a contract approaching $40 million a year this summer. That’s Ja Morant-level money for a player who doesn’t address any of Tuomas Iisal’s primary concerns. Simmons has the same DARKO bow as Naji Marshall, for example. The Grizzlies would then be forced to look for a starting power forward in the Ja Morant deal.

The Celtics aren’t trading Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, the only other significant deals that could serve as ballast. Sam Hauser’s $10 million deal, which runs through 2028-29, but the 28-year-old isn’t exactly a mover in trade talks of this magnitude.

Perhaps the final obstacle in the way is Boston’s depleted war chest. The Celtics are in the lead, and their future picks don’t have much value for a team looking to retool. Their 2026 first-round pick will most likely fall in the mid-20s. Their 2027 draft picks will be in the late 20s, assuming Tatum re-signs, and without adding a player of Jackson Jr.’s caliber. Their 2028 first-round pick, if it falls between 2-14, is owed to the San Antonio Spurs or out of the lottery.

There is first protection in 2028 is a pure gamble with minimal carryover chances. The situation continues to deteriorate from there. With the Portland Trail Blazers outright owning Boston’s 2029 pick, the Celtics cannot immediately trade their 2030 first-round pick. They could only offer trade rights, which is of minimal value to a Grizzlies organization that also relies on being a top four team in that time frame.

The Grizzlies go with the core

Basically, the reason the Grizzlies are even considering moving Jaren Jackson Jr. is practically non-existent. The former Defensive Player of the Year is under contract through at least the 2028-29 season, with a player option for 2029-30. He forms the cornerstone of an unlikely, long-term frontcourt pairing with rookie Zach Eddy, who is under team control through that same 2028-29 period before a potential rookie extension looms. The duo provides a rare blend of elite rim protection, floor spacing and interior scoring that franchises spend decades trying to put together.

Add in Cedric Coward and Jalen Wells as long, shifty perimeter defenders, and Memphis already has the skeleton of a title-caliber defense. Replace Brandon Clark and Joc Landale with cost-controlled depth pieces, and the rotation looks complete everywhere except at quarterback. That’s why the Ja Morant situation is far more important than any hypothetical pursuit of Jackson Jr. The Grizzlies are just one leading guard away from contention.

Also, and it should be noted again, the Grizzlies are not shopping the anchor of their defense. This doesn’t look like Blake Griffin was kicked out for an LA Clippers type situation. Apparently, it would take a Rudy Gobert-level package to start the conversation. Perhaps Jackson Jr. will end up going for less than Gobert after this season. Let it be so in the future. Anything less is a joke now and would probably put too many other jobs on the line to even entertain.