BREAKING NBA TRADE: Grizzlies Deal Jaren Jackson Jr. to Shocking Team

February 03, 2026 ,


 No one saw this one coming. The Memphis Grizzlies are trading star forward Jaren Jackson Jr. in an eight-player and three-pick package to... of all places, the Utah Jazz.

Memphis also sends John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr. to the Utah Jazz along with JJJ, in return for Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three future first-round picks. 

The picks include Utah's most favorable 2027 first-round pick (Cleveland/Minnesota/Utah), the Lakers' 2027 first-round pick, and Phoenix's 2031 first-round pick.

This move can only mean that the Grizz are embarking on a full-on rebuild, and a trade of Ja Morant is almost certainly to come by Thursday's deadline.

The big question in that regard, is what kind of a return they can get for the distressed asset that Morant is currently seen as.  

Jackson Jr. is an NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2023) and a two-time first-team All-Defensive Team member. 

This past offseason, Memphis signed him to a five-year, $240 million extension.

The Jazz are a stunning destination for Jackson, as four prominent playoff-bound teams in need of a center had been thought of as the top suitors. 

If Utah makes no other moves, they will boast a beast of a defensive lineup down low with Jackson & Walker Kessler, while their starting five would also include elite scoring forward Lauri Markkanen.

That gives the Jazz massive size up front, with Kessler standing 7'2", Markkanen 7'1" and Jackson 6'10" (who plays like a seven-footer).

Photo: © Erik Williams-Imagn Images

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