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Will the Memphis Grizzlies ever consider starting from scratch this offseason? They have spend the past seven to eight years assembling their post Grit and Grind core, and the farthest they've gone since then is the second round of the playoffs, and that was back in 2022. In the three years since, the Grizzlies have declined.
In 2023, they lost to the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round to cap off a bad last few months of the regular season for Ja Morant. The following year, they fell all the way to the lottery amid injury woes, and then in 2025, they were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder after just sneaking into the playoffs via the play-in tournament.
There is merit to running it back for the Grizzlies; they have plenty of talent on the roster, with Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane being a nice trio to build around, and they have proven that they can develop solid NBA rotation pieces from the fringes of the league as evidenced by the success story that is Scotty Pippen Jr.
But if the Grizzlies do decide to blow it up, Jackson is perhaps the guy who would command the most interest on the trade market. He's a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate and a perfect big man for today's NBA — someone who can defend both on the perimeter and the interior while providing excellent scoring from all three levels of the court.
Jackson will be heading into the final year of his contract, which reduces his trade value drastically. But he should still fetch the Grizzlies a pretty penny on the trade market, with these three teams being excellent fits for the 25-year-old big man.
3. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors, of all teams, would know just how impactful a single trade can be when it comes to maximizing the championship window of a star player. Now, the Warriors can still go very far in this year's playoffs, but with their core still aging, there's not much sense in trying to straddle two timelines, instead going all-in on the present.
Golden State still has the big trade chip that is Jonathan Kuminga, and Kuminga will be up for a new contract this offseason. Perhaps there is an acceptable agreement to be had between them and the Grizzlies, with Kuminga being the biggest piece heading to Memphis in a trade that would bring Jackson to the Bay Area.
Jackson will be making just $23.4 million next season, which would not make it difficult at all for the Warriors to acquire him, since Kuminga should be making around the same amount of money per annum on his new deal.
2. Indiana Pacers
Myles Turner is about to enter free agency, and Turner, despite being a Pacer for all of his career thus far, could be lured by a huge contract elsewhere. While re-signing Turner is still the most likely path the Pacers take, they can at least go after Jaren Jackson Jr. in a trade with the Grizzlies in the event that the lifelong Pacer decides to bolt via free agency.
Jackson and Turner have so many similarities in terms of how they impact the game; they are both subpar on the boards for a big man, but they can space the floor, protect the paint, and can anchor a defense at a high level. Jackson is also four years younger than Turner, which means that he can grow alongside the Pacers' young core for a much longer period of time than the lifelong Pacer.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
Nothing's delusional anymore about linking any All-Star player to a trade to the Lakers. They have proven that Lakers exceptionalism is true, as seen in their blockbuster acquisition of Luka Doncic. But their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves have shown the world one thing: they need a big man in the worst way, as they have resorted to some gimmicky defensive coverages to make up for their lack of rim protection.
Now, Jaren Jackson Jr. would be an incredible fit on the Lakers as a rangy defender, an elite rim protector, and a versatile offensive player who averaged 22.2 points this past season. The Purple and Gold have such limited trade assets, however, that it's very unlikely for the Lakers to get him unless the Grizzlies decide to pull a Pau Gasol and give another All-Star to the Lakers for cheap.
But crazier things have happened in the NBA, and there is no way anyone would be able to rule out the possibility that the Lakers pull off another grand heist.
