One prominent NBA team may be going all-in on a roster teardown.
Rival executives believe that the Memphis Grizzlies could trade away star big man Jaren Jackson Jr. ahead of the deadline, Kelly Iko of Yahoo! Sports reported on Monday. The “growing thought” is that Jackson may be the next domino to fall if the Grizzlies trade star point guard Ja Morant.
Iko does add though that Jackson has recently emerged as a “go-to” voice in the Grizzlies locker room, complicating the prospects of a trade. You can read Iko’s full report on the situation in Memphis here.
What we already know is that the two-time All-Star Morant is likely on his way out of the Grizzlies. The team is said, for the first time, to be open to moving Morant ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Subsequent reports even claimed that Morant has been having issues with his teammates in Memphis.
But the Jackson situation is a little bit more nuanced than that. A two-time All-Star himself as well as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, Jackson is a major identity piece for the Grizzlies. But after Memphis already traded away Desmond Bane over the summer, a subsequent trade of Morant might mean that Jackson (who turns 27 later this year) is no longer a viable fit on a fully rebuilding Grizzlies team.
Jackson, currently in the second year of a five-year, $240 million max extension signed with Memphis last summer, has been a relative disappointment this season with averages of 18.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. One particularly interesting trade suitor was linked to Jackson several months ago, and now it looks like a Jackson trade will be a real possibility if Memphis can find a taker for Morant before this year’s trade deadline.
