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Grading Blockbuster Jaren Jackson Jr. Trade Between Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz
Jaren Jackson Jr. is headed to the Utah Jazz, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Yes, you are reading that correctly. No, this isn't a prank. Yes, we are just as shocked as the rest of you.
No, really, this isn't a prank. I swear.
And finally, yes, we are going to grade the ever-living crud out of this blockbuster deal for both the Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies.
Full Trade Details
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Utah Jazz Receive: Jaren Jackson Jr., John Konchar, Jock Landale, Vince Williams Jr.
Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Kyle Anderson, Walter Clayton Jr., Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang, Lakers' 2027 first-round pick (top-four protection), 2027 first-round pick (most favorable of Utah, Cleveland and Minnesota), Phoenix's 2031 first-round pick
Memphis Grizzlies: D+
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Three first-round picks is a lot. People will talk themselves into it being five after accounting for Walter Clayton Jr. and Taylor Hendricks. Memphis shaving $18.2 million in immediate salary—and the four-year, $205 million balance of Jaren Jackson Jr.'s contract—is a win for team governor Robert Pera and cap dorks (not pejorative) everywhere.
Don't let any of this distract from the fact the Grizzlies are selling low. At best, this is a low-medium return. Hendricks is basically supposed to be an undercooked JJJ but hasn't really factored into Utah's plans after last season's right leg injury. Walter Clayton Jr. is a nifty flier, but at 22, he is old for a rookie and has yet to flex his muscles as the floor-spacing menace he's supposed to be.
These picks are certifiably blah. The pair of 2027 first-rounders have next to zero upside. That Suns selection in 2031 is a tasty dish, but it's forever away. A lot can also happen in Phoenix between now and then. It's already friskier than expected this year and has a half-decade to continue nuking the value of that 2031 selection.
Memphis is taking back no bad money, has gobs of financial flexibility moving forward (including a massive TPE) and now boasts 13 first-rounders over the next seven years. Cool. It still needed to get a better return for its franchise tent pole.
And if this package is indicative of how much teams can expect to get back for expensive stars who aren't consensus top-15 players, well, the Grizzlies should have thought about that before renegotiating and extending JJJ over the offseason. This isn't an abject failure, but it's pretty damn close.
Utah Jazz: B+
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Teams chasing top-four lottery odds aren't supposed to be in the business of forking over multiple first-round picks and prospects for expensive stars. Good on the Jazz for bucking that trend.
Patience is wearing thin in Utah. This is Year 4 of the post-Donovan Mitchell and -Rudy Gobert era, and we're still talking about how the Jazz need to prioritize lottery odds. This package reflects a growing urgency without being impulsive.
Hanging onto Ace Bailey and this year's first-rounder (top-eight protection) is an absolute win. Hendricks hasn't played much since his right leg injury, and Utah is getting what it hoped his 99th percentile outcome would be in Jaren Jackson Jr. It's too early to render a verdict on Clayton, but the Jazz have guards to spare.
Surrendering three first-rounders will be the sticking point. Try to look past it. Selections in 2027 from the Luka Dončić-powered Lakers and the Timberwolves or Cavaliers are both going to convey in the 20s. That Suns first has tons of upside, but their plucky performance this season is proof they won't wallow in their asset-starved state without putting up a fight.
Punting on cap space this summer isn't something to lament. Jackson is better than anyone the Jazz could have signed. He will be an incredibly intuitive fit next season alongside Walker Kessler (restricted) and Lauri Markkanen. (By the way: This is an excellent use of traded player exceptions from the Jazz, too.)
Sliding Markkanen to the 3 isn't an issue on offense, and Utah is giving up very little defensively in those lineups with Kessler and JJJ alongside him. All of this team's best players are intimately familiar shimmying between on- and off-ball workloads. Its defense will improve amid great positional size, continue growth from Bailey and Kessler and the addition of a scrapper like Vince Williams Jr.
The Jazz's appetite for bankrolling this core long term is among the only sources of consternation. Markkanen and Jackson are already expensive. Kessler will get a raise this summer. And Keyonte George's next deal takes effect in 2027-28. Expenses are going to surge. But the Jazz still have two seasons before they get prohibitively pricey, and there's a chance contracts for Kessler and George clock in lower than we think.
Worst-case scenario: This goes belly up, and Utah is left with what should be a smattering of very tradeable assets it can dangle to reorient or reset the roster. If it all works out, the Jazz still have the cost-controlled talent and residual draft equity to effectively maneuver around its core.
Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
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