The Memphis Grizzlies traded forward Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday afternoon in a blockbuster deal involving eight players and three future first-round picks. Sources tell Yahoo Sports that with Jackson’s departure, general manager Zach Kleiman has 13 future first-round picks over the next seven years (in addition to a $29 million trade exception) and rival executives expect Ja Morant’s asking price to be lower, which could hasten Jackson’s departure before Thursday’s trade deadline.
While Morant has expressed his deep love for the organization both publicly and privately, he has now come to terms with the fact that the Grizzlies are moving toward a full-scale rebuild and his future will be far away from the team that drafted him.
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While Memphis claims Jackson is an overwhelmingly positive presence in the locker room and part of the Grizzlies’ core — something that came to light after news of Morant’s impending exit — the vast majority believe Jackson is operating on borrowed time. Sources said many interested teams were actively reaching out to Memphis to weigh the temperature on a potential trade after Morant was blocked, but Utah’s package — along with three coveted future No. 1s — was enough to prompt Kleiman to pull the trigger.
Because of Jackson’s production and positive impact, his market is naturally stronger than Morant’s, who has endured a string of injuries and decreased production. Sources say the market for Morant is shrinking – with interested teams wary of meeting Memphis’ previous demands. Relatedly, the Grizzlies are increasingly realizing they won’t get anything similar in a Morant trade compared to Jackson or Desmond Bane, sources said.
The reduction in Morant’s price should attract interested teams, Miami and Minnesota, who have been monitoring the situation while focusing most of their assets on Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. (Sources say the Heat are increasingly believed to give Morant the extension he’s been seeking.)
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The Grizzlies are now also interested in being the driving force behind any Antetokounmpo trade elsewhere and are monitoring the situation closely, sources said. Ahead of Tuesday’s trade activity, Memphis is exploring the possibility of being involved in a multi-team trade between Minnesota and Milwaukee for Antetokounmpo that would send beloved Grizzlies guard Mike Conley back to Memphis, sources said. Instead, Minnesota traded Conley in a trade with the Bulls.
