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The Utah Jazz took their big swing before the 2026 trade deadline, acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr., John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr, in a blockbuster deal, sending out Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Tyler Hendricks, Georges Niang and three future first-round selections.
This was a long time coming for Memphis, which is seemingly ready to hit the big red reset button, and rightfully so. Jackson, who renegotiated and extended his contract with Memphis over the summer, is locked in for an additional three seasons at over $151 million.
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Let’s get to the grades.
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Memphis Grizzlies: A
It wasn’t long ago when I wrote about Memphis and why it needed to break up its core. Jackson isn’t a primary star, and if we’re being honest, he’s probably not a secondary one either.
Just getting out of that contract, while getting three picks in return, is a major home run for the Grizzlies, who now have oodles of financial flexibility, a small army of cost-controlled young players and a front office that knows how to find quality in the later stages of the draft.
This also leans into the idea that Ja Morant is likely to get traded, which is what the organization has needed to do for a while now.
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The Grizzlies don’t yet have a primary building block, but given that they frankly never did, that didn’t much change their starting position. This deal allows them to clean their palate and start fresh, armed to the teeth with assets.
Utah Jazz: B-
I’m not really sure what the vision here is. Jackson and Lauri Markkanen might be the worst rebounding big-man duo in the league, which is immediately concerning.
Now, offensively they’ll be intriguing, and that’s why the grade isn’t harsh. The fact that both can create their own shots, especially from behind the 3-point line — and do so with high volume — is a major asset for a ball club that presumably has decided to accelerate its own process.
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This trade feels like the first step of several, as the Jazz still need significantly more veteran talent to make it further in the Western Conference.
However, Landale will fill in nicely at center with Walker Kessler out, and Williams could find more opportunities in Utah. So there is more to be found in this deal.
Overall, I’m not much of a fan hitching one’s wagon to Jackson, who drops off quite severely in the playoffs, but I have to assume this is just the first domino, and therefore I’m giving the Jazz some benefit of the doubt here.
However, should this be their big deadline move, I’ll have to ponder whether they deserve to keep their B-, as I’m feeling a little generous with that.