The Utah Jazz have shockingly placed themselves as buyers this Trade Season after acquiring two-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies, Shams Charania reports.
It's a seven-player blockbuster deal sending Jackson, Jock Landale, and Vince Williams Jr. to Utah in exchange for rookie Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang, and three first-round picks.
This was the exact type of splash we were hoping the Portland Trail Blazers would make, as Jackson was a perfect fit for their newfound defensive identity.
Blazers just missed out on their dream trade target
Portland was expected to be a buyer at the deadline and further confirmed that notion in a smaller trade with the Atlanta Hawks, sending Duop Reath and two future second-round picks for sharpshooter Vit Krejci. While that acquisition will help address their shooting woes, it won't resolve it entirely. The Blazers still need a shooting upgrade in the starting lineup, and Jackson's floor spacing ability would've made him an ideal fit on both ends of the court.
He also has positional versatility at the four and five, which would give the Blazers frontcourt depth behind Donovan Clingan and the option to play a jumbo lineup. JJJ is surprisingly a poor rebounder, but that issue would've been mitigated playing alongside Clingan. That's why we also like the fit with Walker Kessler in Utah, another elite rebounder.
Although the trade makes sense from the Jazz standpoint, it's still shocking and a prime example of why you should expect the unexpected when it comes to trades in the NBA. The fact that the Jazz came away with arguably the most coveted trade target is surprising in itself. But it was also expected that Ja Morant would've been the first domino to fall in Memphis. We didn't want the polarizing guard to land in Portland, but we were hoping for a trade, as it would signal the Grizzlies are retooling and increase their likelihood of parting ways with Jackson.
But that didn't turn out to be the case, with the Blazers now left searching elsewhere for significant roster upgrades with just two days until Thursday's trade deadline.
One option they could pivot to is Pelicans rising star Trey Murphy III, but New Orleans has held firm and maintains a steep asking price. It would likely require more than what the Jazz just surrendered for Jackson, making this trade sting even more for Portland.