While James Harden rumors swirl, the Memphis Grizzlies shocked the NBA by sending two-time All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz in a deal involving three first-round picks. There was seemingly a chance Jackson would get traded for the right price, but who expected the Jazz to make a move of this magnitude?
A trade this large that comes out of nowhere is bound to impact not only the two teams involved in the deal, but the league as a whole. Let's dive into the ripple effects that'll come from this deal.
Ja Morant is next to go in Grizzlies rebuild
The most obvious ripple effect is that the Grizzlies are officially entering a full-scale rebuild. It felt as if they had taken their foot off the gas when they traded Desmond Bane away in the offseason, but trading Jackson confirms that Memphis has its eyes on the future. With that in mind, it feels like a matter of when, not if, the last member of their former big three, Ja Morant, will find a new home.
Morant's value is tough to gauge, as he's a terrific athlete and obviously has lots of talent, but he's battled through numerous injuries, his contract is huge, and his game isn't one that's destined to age well. It's clear that the Grizzlies don't think they can win with him as the centerpiece, but can they convince another team that he's worth a star-level package?
It'll be interesting to see where he ends up and what the Grizzlies can get for him at this point, but again, it's only a matter of time until a deal takes place, whether it's in the coming days or in the summer.
Grizzlies are now sneaky tankers in NBA Draft landscape
The Grizzlies traded Bane before the season and now traded Jackson, arguably their best player. Assuming Morant goes too, the Grizzlies will have completely torn down what could've been a playoff team and will instead have one of the worst rosters in the NBA. As bleak as that sounds, this isn't a bad thing, given the abundance of talent in this year's draft class.
Even with Jackson and 20 games of Morant, the Grizzlies are just 19-29 on the year. They're only 3.0 games back of a play-in spot, but perhaps more importantly, they're only 6.0 games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, the teams that currently hold the fourth and fifth-best odds to win the upcoming draft lottery.
The Grizzlies won't win many games down the stretch, and even if they don't catch Brooklyn or Washington, they could bolster their odds and potentially earn a high pick in the draft. A rebuild isn't fun, but surrounding the likes of Cedric Coward and Zach Edey with one of the five or seven best players in a loaded draft class is a rock-solid starting point.
Jazz are serious about competing in 2026-27 and beyond
It wasn't necessarily shocking to see Jackson get traded, but it was surprising to see the 15-35 Jazz take this big a swing. Their goal is still to (hopefully) pick in the top eight of this year's draft to avoid losing their first-round pick, but next season and beyond, they're trying to compete. Look no further than the package they gave up. One of the picks they gave up was the best of a swap involving themselves and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Jazz hope that pick won't be in the lottery, or at least the top 10. Their starting lineup could be good enough to make that hope a reality.
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Keyonte George | Point Guard |
Ace Bailey | Shooting Guard |
Lauri Markkanen | Small Forward |
Jaren Jackson Jr. | Power Forward |
Walker Kessler | Center |
You can do a lot worse. This lineup is huge, so I have no idea how it'll play out, but there's a lot of talent up and down the lineup, and they still have solid contributors like Brice Sensabaugh and Isaiah Collier off the bench.
At a certain point, Danny Ainge had to make a move to try to get better. The Jazz haven't made the playoffs since 2021-22, and they haven't made a Conference Finals in 20 years. With their inability to lure players to Utah, making a trade for an All-Star under contract through the 2029-30 season was smart.
Thunder could get even scarier without even making a move
The big question to come from this deal is what the Jazz will do with Jackson Jr. for the rest of this season. Is their plan to play him in every game possible down the stretch? You might think so, but the Jazz's pick is top-eight protected. This means that if the pick falls out of the top eight, it'll convey to a different team. That team is the Oklahoma City Thunder, because of course it is.
The Thunder, the reigning champions and the best team in the league right now, also happen to have a stockpile of draft picks to use at any moment. There's a conceivable chance that they win another championship and then earn a top 10 pick thanks to the Jazz.
If the Jazz are committed to tanking to ensure they keep their pick and are willing to bench Jackson, this ripple effect is rendered moot. If not, the rich could very easily become even richer.
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