Why Celtics’ Jaren Jackson Jr. rumored trade interest does not worry Grizzlies

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The whispers connecting Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Boston Celtics have circulated through NBA trade rumor mills, but Memphis Grizzlies fans can rest easy. A clear examination of roster construction, financial logistics, and draft capital underscores how a potential trade is fundamentally unserious, representing little more than wishful thinking. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, plus draft picks is just not in the budget even if Zach Kleiman were to budge on the All-NBA level price tag.

Financial realities create immediate roadblocks to any potential two-team deal. To match Jackson Jr.’s salary, Boston would need to include Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. Both guards are under contract through 2027-28, giving them three more years of team control beyond this season. While those contracts provide value, the Celtics would be gutting their backcourt depth for a positional upgrade that doesn’t address their actual needs.

Kleiman, meanwhile, would likely decline interest in redirecting part of that package toward Anfernee Simons, who is expected to command a contract approaching $40 million annually this summer. That’s Ja Morant-level money for a player who doesn’t solve any of Tuomas Iisalo’s primary concerns. Simons has the same DARKO arc as Naji Marshall, for instance. The Grizzlies would then be forced to look for a starting forward in a Ja Morant deal.

The Celtics are not trading Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, the only other significant contracts that could serve as ballast. Sam Hauser’s $10 million deal, which runs through 2028-29, but a 28-year-old role player is not exactly a needle-mover in trade negotiations of this magnitude.

Perhaps the most definitive roadblock is Boston’s depleted war chest of draft capital. The Celtics are in a win-now window, and their future picks hold little value for a team looking to retool. Their 2026 first-round pick will most likely land in the mid-20s. Their 2027 selection projects to be in the late-20s, assuming Tatum re-signs, and that’s without adding a player of Jackson Jr.’s caliber. Their 2028 first-round pick, if it falls between 2-14, is owed to the San Antonio Spurs or will fall out of the lottery.

There is a top-one protection in 2028 is a pure gamble with a minuscule chance of conveying. The situation deteriorates further from there. Because the Portland Trail Blazers own Boston’s 2029 pick wholly, the Celtics cannot trade their 2030 first-round pick outright. They could only offer swap rights, which is of minimal value for a Grizzlies organization also banking on being a top-four team in that timeframe.

Grizzlies going with core Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

At its core, the rationale for the Grizzlies to even consider moving Jaren Jackson Jr. is virtually nonexistent. The former Defensive Player of the Year is under contract through at least the 2028-29 season, with a player option for 2029-30. He forms the cornerstone of a formidable, long-term frontcourt pairing with rookie Zach Edey, who is under team control through that same 2028-29 window before a potential rookie extension kicks in. This duo provides a rare blend of elite rim protection, floor spacing, and interior scoring that franchises spend decades trying to assemble.

Add Cedric Coward and Jaylen Wells as long, switchable perimeter defenders, and Memphis already has the skeleton of a title-caliber defense. Replace Brandon Clarke and Jock Landale with cost-controlled depth pieces, and the rotation looks complete everywhere except at point guard. That is why the Ja Morant situation is far more pressing to the front office than any hypothetical Jackson Jr. pursuit. The Grizzlies are one lead guard away from contention.

Also, and it needs to be noted again, the Grizzlies are not shopping the anchor of their defense. This does not appear to be a Blake Griffin being ousted by the LA Clippers type of situation. It would reportedly take a Rudy Gobert-level package to start a conversation. Perhaps Jackson Jr. eventually moves on for one less pick than Gobert after this season. So be it, then, in the future. Anything less now is a joke and would likely put too many other jobs on the line to even be entertained.

Why Celtics’ Jaren Jackson Jr. rumored trade interest does not worry Grizzlies

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