The NBA Trade Deadline is over, but it was not without some drama from last week. One of the teams that was heavily involved in trade discussions was the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors initially wanted Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they were also involved in discussions with the Memphis Grizzlies for Jaren Jackson Jr. before he was traded to the Utah Jazz.
ClutchPoints’ own NBA reporter Brett Siegel reported that the Warriors had a deal on the table for Jaren Jackson Jr. that involved some combination of two clear draft picks, a swap, Kuminga, Buddy Hield, and another contract for salary purposes. The Grizzlies wanted Moses Moody, but the Warriors were unwilling to move him for Jackson.
Trading away Moody and several future draft assets that would tie up their future was not something Golden State was willing to do, so the Warriors moved to their Plan C, and the Grizzlies ultimately landed on the deal that sent Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz.
Memphis’ trade that sent Jackson Jr. to Utah involved eight players total. Memphis received three first-round draft picks along with rookie guard Walter Clayton Jr. and forwards Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, and Georges Niang from Utah. In addition to Jackson Jr., the Jazz acquired Jock Landale and guards John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr., along with two first-round picks in 2027 and one first-round pick in 2031.
The question now is whether it made sense for the Warriors to increase their trade offer to get the Grizzlies to agree to a deal.
On the one hand, he’s a talented scorer who can shoot threes and defend at a high level. On the other hand, he doesn’t rebound well, he fouls too much, and he’s never been an extremely efficient scorer.
Still, the Warriors changed course, targeting Kristaps Porzingis, and made a deal with the Atlanta Hawks, sending Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga.
The question of whether it would have made sense for the Warriors to increase their offer will never be answered, but it is an interesting wrinkle in last week’s trade discussions.