It’s the Tuesday ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline and we’ve already got a blockbuster. No, not Giannis Antetokounmpo or James Harden. This one involved a Memphis Grizzlies star … but not Ja Morant.
Jaren Jackson Jr. is shockingly being sent to the Utah Jazz. ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report the full trade.
With the Grizzlies now seemingly in tear-down mode and the Jazz likely still not trying to win this year (they owe their top-eight protected pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder), it begs the question: which players should Daryl Morey and the Sixers call on?
Santi Aldama
The Spanish forward is 25 and might not fit into Memphis’ new timeline. At 7-foot and highly skilled, he’d be a fantastic fit with the Sixers. He has sort of a do-it-all skillset offensively, while also offering strong rebounding and defensive versatility. The biggest questions will be what it would take to get Aldama and if the Sixers could even match his 2025-26 salary ($18.4 million). That could be tricky without adding Kelly Oubre Jr., who is the team’s only reliable wing with Paul George suspended, or Quentin Grimes, who has a no-trade clause after signing a qualifying offer this past summer.
Jock Landale
When talking about big men who would be cheaper and represent an upgrade over Andre Drummond, many point to the Indiana Pacers’ Jay Huff. To me, Landale is the better option. Though not much of a rim protector, Landale is a strong rebounder. While he’s built like a traditional center, he’s become a legitimate pick-and-pop threat the last couple seasons. If the cost is something like Drummond and a second-rounder or two, it’s worth a call. As a third center to push Adem Bona, you could do a whole lot worse.
Vince Williams Jr.
Williams is an interesting player. He’s a guard who can basically do everything but make threes. He has creation juice, both for himself and others, is an excellent rebounder for his size and is a dogged defender with a 7-foot-wingspan. His lack of shooting could hurt since the Sixers already feature a couple non-shooters in the rotation, but he’s not bad perimeter depth to have and the cost figures to be relatively low.
Brice Sensabaugh
Chances are the Jazz will hang on to Sensabaugh, but if they’re open for business, he’s worth a phone call. The 22-year-old forward can just flat out score. His three-point shooting has dipped a bit this year, but he dropped 43 points in a game a couple weeks ago. The Sixers could use a pure bucket-getter off the bench and more shooting while George is out. Again, not sure what it would take or if Utah would move him, but he’s an intriguing option.
