New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends JJJ to Cleveland, Allen to Memphis, Hawks Add More Wings

Could the Cavaliers further supplement a dominant defense by pairing two of the three DPOY finalists - and how could the Hawks benefit?

Mar 3, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) drives to the basket as Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) defends during the first quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

On paper, there doesn't seem to be much connecting the Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers. Atlanta failed to qualify for the postseason after losing to the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament while the Grizzlies were soundly eliminated by the OKC Thunder in a 4-0 sweep. They are both far from being contenders at this stage. Conversely, the Cavaliers are still alive in the postseason. Although they are down 2-1 in the second round of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers, they won Game 3 by 22 points and will be able to tie the series up in Game 4.

While it might surprise fans, the Grizzlies seem to be a candidate to make a surprising trade this summer. They got embarassed in the first round and neither one of Ja Morant or Jaren Jackson Jr seem like players that the Grizzlies can build around. Morant has struggled to stay on the court while Jackson has struggled to take on a larger offensive role in the postseason. Therefore, it's possible they could look to split this pairing up. Between the two, JJJ has much more trade value because he's an excellent defender and just had a career-best season. However, his playoff limitations as a scorer, propensity for fouling and inability to battle in the paint for rebounds mean that it wouldn't be entirely surprising if the Grizzlies decided to part ways with him instead of giving him a five-year, $345 million dollar extension.

The Cavaliers already have an excellent frontcourt in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, but they could unlock a different level defensively by pairing Mobley with JJJ. For the 2025-26 season, Allen and Jackson have a very similar salary ($20 million for Allen, $23.4 million for Jackson). It might be appealing for the Cavaliers to push all their chips in and try for a Finals berth when it seems clear that the Celtics are going to take a step back next season due to tight salary cap restrictons.

As the third team in this deal, Atlanta has major needs with their frontcourt depth and could use this situation to add rotation players that will keep them fresh down the stretch. They looked much weaker once Jalen Johnson went down with injury for the second straight season, so adding more players that can fill in for him would make sense as they look to make it back to the postseason in 2025-26.

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks or any other teams should do or will do. That is all.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Dean Wade, GG Jackson

Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Jaren Jackson Jr, Kobe Bufkin, 2027 2nd round pick (via ATL, from MEM), 2028 2nd round pick (via SAC, from MEM)

Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro, 2029 2nd round pick (via CLE, from ATL), 2031 2nd round pick (via CLE, from ATL), 2031 1st round pick (top-5 protected)

Why Atlanta does this deal: Both Wade and Jackson give the Hawks additional depth in the frontcourt and could become vital parts of the rotation. In the 59 games Wade played this season, he shot 36% from deep on 3.8 attempts per game and finished on 74% of his attempts at the rim (good for the 94th percentile league-wide per Cleaning the Glass). He was an important part of Cleveland's second unit when healthy and he's an excellent defender. Jackson has struggled to stay healthy, but he's still the youngest player to score 40 points and grab 10 rebounds. He's a good screener and scorer while also shooting 35.7% on six attempts a night last season for Memphis. While Jackson fell out of Memphis's rotation due to inconsistency, there's reason to think this could be a good buy-low opportunity for Atlanta.

Why Atlanta does not do this deal: Neither of these players are very durable and the Hawks have already struggled to stay healthy. Adding more injury questions into the mix would be a dangerous gamble. Furthermore, giving up on Kobe Bufkin so early into his NBA career is a risky move given that he's shown intriguing defensive flashes at times.

Why Cleveland does this deal: Last season, both Mobley and JJJ finished with an impressive block percentage of 4.7%. They are arguably the best shot-blockers and rim protectors in basketball. Furthermore, both of them took steps as floor spacers this season. Mobley shot 37% from deep on 3.2 attempts per game while JJJ shot 37.5% from deep on 5.3 attempts a night. On his own, JJJ dragged the Grizzlies' defense to conceding the 12th-fewest points in the paint during the regular season and the 11th-best defense by defensive net rating. They are both excellent complementary players around a Donovan Mitchell - Darius Garland backcourt because they can erase defensive lapses on that end. Allen is a great player, but he is fairly one-dimensional on offense. Okoro is also more of a complementary talent that only played in 55 games for the Cavs last season. With an expanded role from Jaylon Tyson, they can fill his loss adequately. Bufkin is also additional backcourt depth if one of Garland or Mitchell go down. He hasn't been healthy thus far in his tenure with Atlanta, but he's shown signs of being a good defender. It would be a good buy-low acquistion for the Cavaliers at a cost-controlled price.

Why Cleveland does not do this deal: The biggest reason for not doing this deal is giving JJJ a new contract. He's a free agent after the season and is eligible for a five-year, $275 million dollar extension. If the Cavs sign him to that deal, it almost certainly means that Darius Garland is gone next summer and Cleveland is scrambling to get out of the second apron next offseason.

Why Memphis does this deal: Running a double-big lineup with Zach Edey and Jarrett Allen does reduce Memphis's already-limited spacing, but it definitively makes them a better rebounding team. For all his skills, rebounding has never been a strength of JJJ's game and Allen is a good defender in his own right. Okoro is a good complementary wing who plays hard on defense and could improve a Grizzlies perimeter defense that really struggled last season. This move also allows the Grizzlies to comfortably re-sign Santi Aldama to a new deal while remaining below the luxury tax while adding a 2031 first-round pick that has an excellent chance of conveying.

Why Memphis does not do this deal: If Morant struggles again this season, they are going to be severely limited as to where they can generate any scoring from. Although his efficiency fell off in the postseason as he was asked to be the main option, JJJ did score 22.2 points per game last season on 59.1 TS% for Memphis. That's a tough ask for Allen, who scored 13.5 points per game albeit on a highly efficient 72.4 TS%, to replace. There are also obvious spacing concerns with playing two non-shooters a heavy dose of minutes.

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