With Thursday afternoon’s NBA trade deadline growing closer, teams are officially open for business.
The Utah Jazz pulled off the first major acquisition of the week, agreeing Tuesday to acquire forward Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies for a haul that includes three first-round picks, according to ESPN.
In addition to those future picks, the Grizzlies are adding rookie guard Walter Clayton Jr. and veteran forwards Kyle Anderson, Georges Niang and Taylor Hendricks.
To help round out the deal, center Jock Landale and guards Vince Williams Jr. and John Konchar are headed back to Utah.
The Jazz entered Tuesday with a 15-35 record, but they have eyes toward the future with the addition of Jackson, a two-time All-Star and the NBA’s 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year.
Jackson, 26, is averaging 19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game this season.
Utah can envision Jackson being another scoring option in an offense headlined by Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George, as well as another defensive enforcer in a frontcourt already featuring 7-2 center Walker Kessler.
Memphis (19-29), meanwhile, moves further into a rebuild, having already traded guard Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic last offseason for a return that included four first-round picks.
The Grizzlies now hold 12 first-round picks in the next seven years.
Memphis star Ja Morant is the subject of widespread trade rumors and could be the next to go, but the hyper-athletic guard’s market is complicated considering his down season, current elbow sprain and history of off-court issues.
The Grizzlies won at least 48 games in three of the last four seasons — including 56 in 2021-22 — but did not advance beyond the second round with the core that is now being broken up.
Clayton, who led Florida to an NCAA championship last year, becomes an interesting piece for Memphis. The 22-year-old guard was the No. 18 overall pick in last year’s draft and averaged 6.8 points per game, all off the bench, over 45 appearances for Utah.
PISTONS ADD HUERTER
That was hardly the only notable trade Tuesday.
The Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons acquired shooter Kevin Huerter from the Chicago Bulls as part of a three-team trade that also included the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The swap saw Detroit acquire Huerter and forward Dario Saric; the Bulls add guard Jaden Ivey and veteran Mike Conley; and the Wolves receive considerable salary relief by moving Conley’s contract, per ESPN.
The Pistons also received a 2026 first-round protected pick swap from Minnesota.
Huerter adds a missing element to the hard-nosed Pistons, who entered Tuesday shooting just 34.8% on 3-pointers and ranked 27th in the NBA by averaging 11.1 made 3-point baskets per game.
Although he is shooting just 31.4% from 3-point range this year, Huerter is a career 37.1% shooter from deep.
Detroit began Tuesday with a 36-12 record and were 5.5 games ahead of the Knicks for the top seed in the East.
Adding Huerter, 27, was costly for Detroit in the sense that it drafted Ivey with the No. 5 pick in 2022. But injuries have limited the talented 23-year-old guard’s availability over the past two seasons, and he had been reduced to a bench role this year.
Minnesota, meanwhile, dropped beneath the second luxury tax apron by parting with the 38-year-old Conley, 38. That is significant because it provides financial flexibility amid the Wolves’ interest in trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
CELTICS ACQUIRE VUCEVIC
The Knicks’ other primary competition in the Eastern Conference standings also made a trade Tuesday, acquiring veteran center Nikola Vucevic from the Bulls.
In return, Chicago added high-scoring guard Anfernee Simons and a second-round draft pick from the Celtics, according to ESPN.
The trade bolsters the front court of a Celtics team that lost Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford in the offseason. Vucevic, 35, is averaging 16.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game this season.
Buoyed by a core of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, Boston has exceeded expectations without star forward Jayson Tatum, who may or may not return this season after tearing his Achilles in May.
Entering Tuesday, the Celtics were 31-18, tying them with the Knicks for the second-best record in the East.
