NBA Mock Trade: Memphis Grizzlies Deal Jaren Jackson Jr. to New York Knicks

The Memphis Grizzlies traded shooting guard Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic this offseason. That has opened the door for trade speculation involving other stars on Memphis' roster.

While no other major trade is imminent, rumors have linked Grizzlies center Jaren Jackson Jr. to the New York Knicks this summer. The Knicks are coming off their first season in the Eastern Conference Finals in a quarter century and might be interested in bolstering their front court.

Let's take a look at what a Jackson trade to New York would look like if it happened before the 2025-26 regular season begins.

Memphis Grizzlies-New York Knicks Mock Trade

Memphis Grizzlies receive power forward OG Anunoby and two first-round picks.

New York Knicks receive center Jaren Jackson Jr.

The trade proposal swaps starting big-men for the two teams. The Knicks could send a bench player and one first-rounder to Memphis instead of two first-round choices. The most obvious expendable bench player for New York is likely shooting guard Miles McBride.

But I chose to send draft capital to the Grizzlies and keep the Knicks depth intact.

Why This Trade Makes Sense for the Knicks

The New York frontcourt features one of the best offensive centers in the NBA with Karl-Anthony Towns. But the 29-year-old leaves something to be desired from a defensive perspective.

Jackson won the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022-23. He's led the league in blocks per game twice in his career.

"The Knicks ranked in the bottom half of the league in most defensive metrics last season, including points allowed in the paint and points allowed off pick-and-roll coverages," Heavy Sports' Sai Mohan wrote. "A lot of those deficiencies were due to Towns’ inability to defend well."

Acquiring Jackson would be a quick fix to New York's lack of rim protection last season.

Why This Trade Makes Sense for the Grizzlies

Memphis made the postseason last year, but they suffered a first-round sweep versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. As previously mentioned, the team then traded it's 26-year-old starting shooting guard this offseason.

Moving on from Bane doesn't appear to be the first domino in several seller moves for the Grizzlies. But no one would be surprised if it was.

Should the Grizzlies want to completely hit the reset button, Jackson and starting point guard Ja Morant are Memphis' top trade chips.

Fantasy Basketball Implications

While Jackson is a great defender, he's also been a reliable scorer and rebounder for fantasy managers. In New York, though, he would likely take a back seat to Towns on the offensive end.

Last season, Anunoby was the third-leading scorer for the Knicks. So, there would be scoring opportunities for Jackson in New York.

However, Anunoby averaged 13.9 field goal attempts per game last season. He also posted 18 points with 4.8 rebounds per contest.

In Memphis last season, Jackson had 22.2 points and 5.6 rebounds with 16.4 shot attempts per game.

With the Grizzlies, Anunoby could see more opportunities than he would in New York. That would be especially true if Memphis also moved on from Morant.