The Memphis Grizzlies are facing the prospects of a retooling amidst a 17-22 start that has them sitting in 10th place in the Western Conference. With it has come trade speculation involving star point guard Ja Morant and, more importantly for the New York Knicks, power forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr.
In a season that carries championship expectations, the Knicks are not quite looking like bona fide title contenders. They are 3.5 games behind the Detroit Pistons for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, with a defense that has been a liability at times.
Their defensive rating of 115.8 ranks 18th in the NBA, and they have allowed the third-most three-pointers in the league this season.
Jackson would bolster those numbers, even if his defensive rating of 112.6 is just below league average. He is a three-time NBA All-Defensive selection and the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year. This season, he is holding players that he defends to a 41.1% field goal percentage, including a 30.6% mark from three-point range (1.9 out of 6.3 attempts made per game).
Couple that with an offensive game that is averaging 18.5 points per night, and it is a legitimate upgrade to what many consider to be the Knicks’ Achilles heel in All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, whose defense was especially an issue during their Eastern Conference Final loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The Knicks have been infatuated with Jackson for some time, and he would bolster a roster that already has solid defensive pieces in OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. He is also a more realistic and affordable trade target than perhaps Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been continuously linked to New York for the past year.
Jackson still has four more years left on his current contract following the 2025-26 season and is owed $205 million.
