Jaren Jackson Jr. mock trade: What would it cost for the Charlotte Hornets to acquire the former DPOY?

Memphis, Tennessee, the epicenter of the NBA's trade rumblings as we meander toward the February 5th deadline, hosts a pair of former All Stars on the block that could potentially swing playoff races in both conferences.

One of them, Ja Morant, has no chance of getting traded to the Charlotte Hornets (no, they are not going to swap Morant for LaMelo Ball).

The other, Jaren Jackson Jr., represents an unlikely, yet intriguing, trade target for a Hornets team outplaying their preseason expectations.

What would it cost for Charlotte to acquire Jaren Jackson Jr.?

It wouldn't be cheap.

Adding a player of JJJ's quality would be the type of move that Jeff Peterson hinted at in an episode of Reel Access this summer -- an 'all-in,' push the chips to the center of the table type move that will define this era of basketball in Charlotte.

Jackson Jr.'s resume is sterling: Two-time NBA All-Star, 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, two-time First Team All-Defense, two-time NBA blocks leader. He is the type of floor-spacing defensive anchor that the Hornets desparately need in their front court.

Here's the trade I would attempt to make.

Charlotte receives: Jaren Jackson Jr. and John Konchar (via non-taxpayer MLE)

Memphis receives: Miles Bridges, Tidjane Salaun, Liam McNeeley, Charlotte's 2026 unprotected first-round pick, Dallas' top-two protected 2027 first-round pick, Cleveland or Minnesota's (least-favorable of the two) 2029 first-round pick

Why the Hornets do it

Jackson is an elite defense unto himself.

Per Cleaning the Glass, the Grizzlies' defense improves by 4.3 points when JJJ is on the floor. Save for 2023-24, Jackson's sheer presence has improved the Grizzlies defense in every season since 2021.

Jackson Jr. has had an above average block rate for a big in every season of his NBA career.

He offers positional versatility, playing both power forward and center at a high level, meaning he can start alongside Moussa Diabate or Ryan Kalkbrenner while also manning the painted area in 'small ball' lineups alongside Grant Williams.

On offense, Jackson Jr's shooting touch would allow the Hornets to play a true five-out style for the first time in Charles Lee's tenure. He isn't a true knock-down threat from downtown, but JJJ has enough touch from three-point range to space defenses beyond their limits.

Imagine a five-out lineup with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Grant Williams, and Jackson Jr. The combination of shooting, physicality, screening, IQ, and playmaking would be intoxicating.

The concerns with JJJ are real. He's on an exorbitant contract that the Hornets will be on the hook for, making it complicated to ink inevitable extensions for Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. Also, JJJ has never been even an average rebounder for a player of his size, which is contradictory to the type of players Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee have coveted in Charlotte.

However, the pros outweigh the concerns in my opinion, and JJJ would be a major addition to this current core of Hornets.

Why the Grizzlies do it

The potential for a full-on youth movement centered around their young talent.

Zach Edey is a dominant front court presence. When healthy, Edey has proven to be a two-way front court hub that the Grizzlies can build around.

Cedric Coward is a dude. The rookie swingman looks the part of a future NBA All-Star early in his career, and Memphis needs to open up even more opportunities for him to grow.

Those two are the centerpieces of the Grizzlies rebuild, but they have amassed a stash of young talent (Jaylen Wells, Cam Spencer, Vince Williams, and GG Jackson, to name a few) that Zach Kleiman is keen to build around, per reports from Kelly Iko and Shams Charania.

Swapping out Jackson for Bridges (salary match and a useful veteran), Tidjane Salaun and Liam McNeeley (two more intriguing talents on young contracts), and a host of picks, increases their optionality and gives Memphis an overstocked cabinet of assets to move forward with.

In all honesty, I don't believe the Grizzlies makes this move. Although they don't have a clear path to the top of the Western Conference as currently constructed, it is risky to completely bottom out, especially in a seemingly volatile market like Memphis.

However, if they are willing to take calls on Jaren Jackson Jr., Charlotte should unequivocally be one of the first teams to reach out, because he is the exact type of player their current roster needs.

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