The NBA trade deadline exploded into life on Tuesday, with a couple of big and unexpected trades happening that surprisingly did not include Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Other franchises clearly tiring of not knowing what the Milwaukee Bucks will do with their superstar, and so making the moves that they wanted to anyway.
Jock Landale heading to Utah Jazz alongside Jaren Jackson Jr.
One big name that is on the move despite not being in much trade speculation recently is Memphis Grizzlies big man and former Defensive Player of the Year, Jaren Jackson Jr.
The Utah Jazz pulling off a trade featuring several players to get him to their franchise, and he is going to be joined there by a former Suns fan favorite in Jock Landale.
BREAKING: The Memphis Grizzlies are trading star forward Jaren Jackson Jr., John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr. to the Utah Jazz for Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three future first-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/ax6oQpZx0S
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 3, 2026
You probably remember the Australian Landale from a period of Suns basketball in which they were contenders, before Jusuf Nurkic was in town and it all kind of fell apart.
He was also the center who outworked their starter in Deandre Ayton in a playoff series, which is why he didn't last in The Valley.
The 30-year-old moving on so he could make more money elsewhere at a time when the Suns were in the second apron, although his career has never hit the individual highs we saw from him in Phoenix since.
He did appear in 45 games for the Grizzlies (with 25 starts) at a time when the Ja Morant situation was a tough one to navigate, and he can provide cover in Utah while Walker Kessler recovers from injury.
The ship has most likely sailed on this, but he would actually be an excellent backup for the Suns in the position that Nick Richards currently occupies (although possibly not for much longer).
He is capable of starting games and would be the perfect veteran to have on the roster while Khaman Maluach gets the reps needed before taking on a larger role.
He could also slide into the starting spot if Mark Williams was out for any reason, which thankfully has not been the case much this season.
Landale is on a minimum contract and is an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, so perhaps he will be a name worth revisiting then.
For now though it is nice to see a player that Suns fans liked remain in the league and quietly go about his business in Memphis. Here's hoping he can have more of the same with the Jazz.