Jaren Jackson Jr. traded from Memphis to Utah in 8-player deal that includes 3 draft picks

Jaren Jackson Jr. was traded to the Utah Jazz in an eight-player, three-draft-pick deal with the rebuilding Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.

Jackson, Jock Landale, John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr. were sent to Utah in exchange for Georges Niang, Kyle Anderson, Walter Clayton Jr. and Taylor Hendricks. The NBA approved the trade less than 48 hours ahead of the Thursday afternoon trade deadline.

Also included in the deal: three first-round picks for Memphis, which has been engaged in talks about trading star guard Ja Morant as well. For now, the Grizzlies — who already had built a sizable haul of looming first-round picks even before this move — decided to part with Jackson, a former defensive player of the year.

Jackson averaged 19.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this season for Memphis, the team that drafted him No. 4 overall in 2018. He was a two-time All-Star for the Grizzlies, the 2023 defensive player of the year, a two-time blocked shot champion and a three-time all-defensive team pick.

Of the four Utah players moving to Memphis in the deal, none averaged more than 7.1 points per game this season. Niang has yet to play because of injury; he was with Atlanta last season, got traded to Boston in July and then was sent to Utah in August.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba