The first big blockbuster of trade deadline week occurred Tuesday afternoon with the Utah Jazz acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies as part of an eight-player swap per reports.
Utah also lands wings John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr. and center Jock Landale in the swap in exchange for guard Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, former Celtics forward Georges Niang and three future first-round picks.
The move is a big swing by Danny and Austin Ainge as the father-son duo attempt to expedite the team’s rebuild in Utah. However, the major progress on that front won’t come until next season in all likelihood with the Jazz currently sitting with the sixth-worst record in the NBA with incentive to stay bad for now (they owe a top-8 protected first-round pick to the Thunder this season).
That means the Jazz and the Grizzlies are likely to remain very active still in the trade market in the days to come before Thursday’s deadline. Tuesday’s deal could have a few interesting implications for Celtics trade possibilities so let’s cycle through what to keep an eye on moving forward.
The Jazz have a cheap center available now
If Boston wants to go bargain basement hunting, Jock Landale is suddenly a very available candidate in Utah. He’s averaging 11.3 points and 6.5 rebounds this year and is only earning the veteran’s minimum. If Boston wants to upgrade Chris Boucher or Xavier Tillman on the cheap, he could certainly be attainable.
The Grizzlies created a very big trade exception, which could help Boston
In trading Jackson Jr., Memphis has created what is now the biggest active traded player exception in the NBA, worth $28.1 million. That number is big enough to absorb Anfernee Simons’ salary ($27.4 million) without needing to send back equal money in a trade. If the Celtics are looking to get under the luxury tax line before Thursday’s deadline, the Grizzlies suddenly offer an attainable path to do so. However, Boston would certainly need to sweeten the deal (with draft compensation or players) to go that route, something they’ve been resistant to doing thus far, per league sources.
Grizzlies are open for business
By trading away their superstar forward on Tuesday for a return heavy on draft assets, the Grizzlies have signaled they are waving the white flag on this season. The Celtics aren’t interested in Ja Morant, who has been on the trade market for weeks, league sources tell MassLive. However, there are still other intriguing names across the Grizzlies roster. Santi Aldama ($18.4 million) is a potential stretch big target for Boston, although he’s young enough (25) that the Grizzlies could consider him as a part of their future. Regardless, the Celtics and other teams will now be doing their due diligence with the Memphis roster after they traded away their 26-year-old cornerstone.