While Jaren Jackson Jr. ultimately ended up with the Utah Jazz in a blockbuster trade at the deadline, they were not the only team that registered interest in the former Memphis Grizzlies All-Star big man. Quite a few teams reached out to the Grizzlies inquiring about a potential deal, with a couple of surprise teams such as the Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets, as per ClutchPoints’ NBA insider Brett Siegel.
Before eventually going with the Jazz on a Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, the Grizzlies fielded calls from the Suns, Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks, although it’s not clear how advanced those discussions might have been.
In the case of the two teams labeled as surprises, the Hornets reported interest in Jackson was legitimate. The Hornets are in the midst of a surprising turnaround in the Eastern Conference postseason picture. They had recently won nine consecutive games and are starting to climb the East standings.
As far as the Suns, Jackson does have a college connection to team owner Mat Ishbia via Michigan State, but the Suns reportedly did not want to ultimately break up their current core. The team is currently 32-22 and in seventh place in the Western Conference standings which would be a play-in spot. However, they are only half a game behind both the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves.
In Jackson’s first game with the Jazz, he finished with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in 25 minutes. He’s played only two games so far with the Jazz, averaging 22.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals with splits of 44.4 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 88.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
