Bulls Receive: Jaden Ivey, Mike Conley
Pistons Receive: Kevin Huerter, Dario Saric, first-round pick swap
Wolves Receive: Cash
Although one could argue that each of these trades is somewhat bizarre, Detroit salary-dumping Ivey was certainly unexpected. Sure, he was probably set to get overpaid in the offseason, but flipping him into two non-assets and a pick that likely won’t be higher than Ivey’s original draft position. Moving on from Ivey is fine, but getting basically nothing of value back seems shocking. You either overpay him and flip him later (most common) or you accept a worthwhile trade that improves your team or its long-term vision. Taking Huerter, Saric, and a pick back feels like a trade they could’ve made at literally any point over the last few years.
Meanwhile, Minnesota quietly gets involved with this trade to offload Conley’s contract for a potentially bigger deal. If either Detroit or Minnesota is positioning itself for a bigger deal (Giannis), then these moves make much more sense. Otherwise, both teams gave up rotation pieces for nothing. Conley is old but was still an important veteran, both on and off the court, who played a vital role for the Timberwolves. If none of this is part of a bigger deal, Chicago clearly wins this trade by receiving the best asset in the deal.
Jazz Receive: Jaren Jackson Jr., John Konchar, Jock Landale, Vince Williams Jr.
Grizzlies Receive: Walter Clayton Jr., Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang, Kyle Anderson, three first-round picks
Rounding out this first batch of trades, Utah does a massive favor for Memphis. Not only do they take on Jackson’s massive contract extension that hasn’t even started, but they also gave Memphis three first-round picks. Jackson is certainly a nice player, but that DPOY season was four years ago, and he hasn’t really elevated since then. He fits a weird mold as a big man who protects the rim but doesn’t rebound. Jackson likes to play along the perimeter offensively, which raises some questions about how he and Lauri Markkanen fit together. It should be assumed that he’ll be sidelined for most of this year, as his playing would drastically hurt Utah’s lottery chances. Regardless, paying roughly $50 million per year to Jackson will eventually be a hard pill to swallow. Getting Memphis to throw in Vince Williams Jr. is a nice addition as well.
However, moving that much draft capital for a guy like Jackson seems extremely irresponsible. Unless this team somehow wins the draft lottery and vaults itself into immediate contention, this trade just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Perhaps Utah is looking to pivot directions, but it doesn’t feel like they’ll be able to really shake things up for a few more years.