Memphis agrees to trade Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah for three-first rounders in blockbuster move

In 2022, the Memphis Grizzlies looked like a team on the rise, falling to the eventual champion Warriors behind an impressive young core of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks. That turned out to be the peak of that core group, which due to injuries, suspensions and drama, never lived up to the hype.

Tuesday, that era officially came to an end in Memphis — and it may start a new era in Utah.

The Memphis Grizzlies are trading former Defensive Player of the Year and All-Star Jackson Jr., as well as John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr. to the Utah Jazz for three first-round picks, Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks and Georges Niang, a trade broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.

This makes a Ja Morant trade inevitable, although, because of the lack of a market for him, it remains more likely to happen in the offseason than the summer. League sources told NBC Sports that, in the wake of this deal, the Grizzlies are still looking for a potential Morant trade before the deadline
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This trade also signals the start of a major rebuild in Memphis, which now controls 12 first-round picks in the next seven years (which includes their pick this year — you can bet they are tanking the rest of the way). Those three first-round picks in this trade are good ones: Utah’s best 2027 first-round pick (between Cleveland/Minnesota/Utah), the Lakers’ 2027 first-round pick, and Phoenix’s 2031 first-round pick, reports Jake Fischer.

Memphis also creates a $28.8 million trade exception with this deal, the largest trade exception in NBA history (they will have one year to use it).

Utah had signaled to anyone who would listen that this was going to be the final season that they were thinking lottery and rebuilding, they wanted to start winning next season.

Now they have an impressive front line when healthy: Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen (who they refused to trade despite plenty of interest and calls from other teams). Utah also has Walker Kessler (who is out injured for the season), who could start at the five and form a massive front line, or back them up off the bench. Keyonte George has emerged as an All-Star-level point guard who can run the show for this team, and they have No. 5 pick Ace Bailey on the wing, who has started to find his footing. That can be an impressive starting core that will win some games.

The big question now: How many games will Jackson play the rest of this season? The Jazz may want to keep this potentially impressive new starting five under wraps the rest of this season and continue its tanking mission. The Jazz owe their 2026 first-round pick to the Knicks, but it’s top-eight protected. The Jazz would currently enter the NBA Draft Lottery with the sixth-worst record in the league and a better-than-75 % chance of keeping their pick, but if this team starts winning more, those numbers change in the Knicks’ favor.

If Utah can add a high lottery pick to pair with this group and develop that player, they’re pretty far down the road to becoming a dangerous team in the West.

The wildest stat in all of this: Every lottery pick except one from the impressive 2018 draft class has been traded: Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Trae Young, Jackson Jr., Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and Michael Porter Jr. included (the only one who hasn’t is Charlotte’s Miles Bridges).