Any fan of the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies who reads this headline would probably scream "ALL RIGHT, WE GET IT!" because despite playing only three games for them, the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade has only continued to receive high marks. Seriously, it's been super hard not to notice how much better the Jazz look for making the deal.
And that's not just because of JJJ himself and what he is capable of. It also has to do with the fact that the Grizzlies appear to be getting less and less out of this with each passing day and decison.
Where did this all start? Well, with the NBA's new lottery odds rules that were implemented a few months after the deal.
New lottery rules depreciates asset Jazz owe Grizzlies
The NBA announced some new rules with the lottery odds going forward, most namely that the odds would be flattened. They did this primarily to try to reduce tanking (even funnier is how this was inspired a lot by the Jazz's unashamed tanking efforts), but a new wrinkle was that if a team got a top-five pick for two straight years, they were prohibited from getting another one.
This would be a problem for the Grizzlies: if the Jazz are bad enough to be the worst team in the league, the Grizzlies can't fully reap the rewards, as they would get the No. 6 pick at best. It's not the worst fate, but it is a little unfair that Memphis could pay for Utah's previous actions.
Also, the odds of that happening are slim given how well-constructed the Jazz's roster is, but before those new lottery rules, that asset was much more appealing. Now, not as much. Cleveland and/or Minnesota could be bad next year, but it's fair to believe that won't happen.
Jazz made that Lakers pick worse
This is something that hasn't been touched up on much because no one's discussed it. Among the picks Utah traded to Memphis for JJJ was the top-four pick the Lakers owe them next year. That pick already decreased in value when the Lakers got their hands on Luka Doncic, but then something else hapenned: Utah traded Walker Kessler to LA.
Will that trade vault the Lakers into title contention? I'm personally leaning more toward no, but Kessler fills a big need for them at center, which makes it more likely that the pick next year won't have as much value.
Granted, the Jazz own the Lakers' future, which could pay dividends long-term, but the pick they now owe the Grizzlies this coming season? Not so much.
Walter Clayton Jr. may not be long for Memphis
Because the Grizzlies have officially started a new chapter, they are in that phase where they have to which players stick and which don't. Apparently, they may have already seen enough Walter Clayton Jr. to cut ties.
Clayton is one of the four candidates to get waived before Opening Night, which is pretty telling of how much his value has sunk since Utah traded. The fact that he may not even make the team shows the Jazz got rid of him before it was too late, even if that wasn't their intention.
Here's hoping it's not over for WCJ, but even if his career could get back on track, it doesn't look like it'll be with the Grizzlies. It sounds like either he'll be in the doghouse or trying to raise his value elsewhere.
There's a solid chance that, in the end, all Memphis will have to show for the JJJ trade will be Taylor Hendricks (he looked more promising than ever post-trade) and that Suns pick five years from now. Compared to what Utah is likely to get from Jackson (knock on wood), this has the makings of a major ripoff in favor of the Jazz.
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