For the first time since the 2022 offseason when they parted ways with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, the Utah Jazz are making headlines for being a party in a blockbuster trade, as, on Tuesday, they packaged Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three future first-round picks to obtain the services of Jaren Jackson Jr. (among others).
From a value perspective, this seems like a fair price to pay for a multi-time All-Star. Anderson and Niang seem like cool dudes, but they are functionally matching salary at this point in time. Hendricks (age 22) wasn’t getting consistent tick on a 15-35 team, so it didn’t seem like he factored too heavily into their long-term plans anyway. Clayton seems to have the makeup of a long-time NBA rotation player, but the strides taken by Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier made him easily expendable. And while the third first round picks seems excessive, don’t forget that just seven months ago the Orlando Magic had to part with four of those to land Jackson’s less-accomplished former teammate.
But just because a trade is a win in isolation doesn’t mean it necessarily pushes your franchise in the right direction. How does Jackson fit in with what the Jazz have spent the last four years building? And does he bring them one step closer to contention?
How Jaren Jackson Jr. Fits On The Current Utah Jazz
With the Jazz needing to finish in the top eight in the Draft Lottery to keep their 2026 first round pick, they probably aren’t in the business of winning too many games for the remainder of the season. Before being moved, Jackson was dealing with a quad injury that kept him out of their Saturday loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. I wouldn’t be surprised if they try to milk nagging injuries like that to sit him out and keep him from unnecessarily contributing to wins.
Still, while draft capital is important, you also need to build a culture of winning. In 2020-21, the 23-49 Minnesota Timberwolves famously won 6 of their last 11 games. Doing this cost them their first round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft (which ended up being Jonathan Kuminga), but they also haven’t missed the playoffs since.
Jackson – a former Defensive Player of the Year – automatically gives the Jazz a defensive building block. Utah is going on their third straight season as the worst defense in the entire NBA. Jackson’s defensive footprint isn’t as mighty as it was when he took home the DPOY award in 2022-23, but that can mainly be explained by the increased offensive load that his team’s myriad of injuries forced him to endure. Now that he has two new reliable co-stars both averaging over 24 PPG (George and Lauri Markkanen), Jackson can focus on returning to his defensive roots.
How Does Jaren Jackson Jr. Align With The Utah Jazz’s Future?
Of course, the real reason a team that is 20 games under .500 makes a move like this is with an eye toward the future.
To understand the scope of having both Jackson and Markkanen on the roster, think about two of the league’s most exciting rising stars: Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama. What makes them so exciting is their rare combination of size and skill. That’s the same reason why everyone and their mothers was trying to pry Markkanen from the Jazz when they looked directionless.
Now, the Jazz have two of these unicorns. Think about the endless possibilities this creates for the Jazz and their mad scientist head coach, Will Hardy. With Markkanen and Jackson as your four and five, you have two giants who can space the floor (both career 35.9% 3-point shooters), score in the paint, and put the ball on the floor. Jackson can make up for Markkanen’s rim protection limitations, and Markkanen’s off-ball gravity will create openings for Jackson that he’s never had before. This is all without getting into all the big-to-big actions Hardy can run involving these two.
Thanks to their shooting and ball skill, the idea of starting them at the three and four is tenable when Walker Kessler returns from his torn labrum next season. In 2021-22, when Markkanen shared the floor with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ twin towers (Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen), the team had a +7.9 net rating in 621 minutes (per PBP Stats). Jackson is a better shooter than both of those guys were, so the fit between him, Markkanen, and Kessler should be even more seamless.
George has been one of the most improved players in the league this season. Collier has gone from one of the least efficient players in the association to someone who can be counted on to bolster second units when George is on the bench (57.2% true shooting, 49th percentile). Ace Bailey is your typical rookie. So, his advanced stats look terrible and his tape is littered with learning experiences, but the dude is just 19 years old, huge (6’9 with a 7’0.5 wingspan), can score with the best of them, and has had some nice moments as a cutter in Hardy’s movement-heavy offense (1st in assist percentage).
Utah still has an extreme case of the hour glass problem. They have drafted some great guards, and this Jackson trade solidifies their big man rotation for the next half decade. But they still need a couple wings to truly field a complete roster.
Even without any offseason moves, a healthy version of the Jazz will compete for a playoff spot in the loaded Western Conference in 2026-27. And if they can find the right wing (or two) to compliment all these tantalizing pieces, Utah may be back on the map a lot sooner than we expected.
