The Detroit Pistons’ biggest long-term need is at power forward, and you’d be hard pressed to find a more perfect player for that role than Jaren Jackson Jr.
Normally former Defensive Player of the Year winners just entering their primes would not be on the trade table, but JJJ will be on an expiring contract next season and there are rumblings the Grizzlies will move him, as they seem to have hit a ceiling with their current group.
It’s far more likely Memphis re-signs him, as JJJ is the ideal model for a modern big who can spread the floor with 3-point shooting, put it on the floor and block shots.
He’s currently on a team-friendly deal but is about to get a huge raise and if the Grizzlies don’t want to be on the ones to pay it, he could be shopped.
JJJ would be a perfect complement to Jalen Duren and is the exact type of player the Pistons should be looking for. They are in dire need of shooting (shocker) around Cade Cunningham, and if they are going to roll with a bunch of guys (Duren, Holland, Thompson, Stewart) who can’t or won’t shoot, then they need to bring in that skill from somewhere else.
Bleacher Report recently mentioned JJJ as an "ambitious" trade target for the Pistons precisely for this reason.
Yes, JJJ would be perfect for Detroit, but the chances of getting him are low, as there are some serious financial challenges.
Detroit Pistons trade rumors: Matching talent and salary for Jaren Jackson Jr.
The Pistons will have problems chasing any player on a big max deal, as they’d have to send out 3-4 players to match salaries, the challenge with trading for a guy like Devin Booker or Kevin Durant.
JJJ represents the opposite problem as he is only making $23 million next season, so it would be tough for the Pistons to match that salary without sending excess dollars to Memphis.
Tobias Harris makes more than JJJ next season, so unless Memphis was sending another contract or there was a third team involved, Harris can’t be in the trade.
The Pistons could get there with some combination of Isaiah Stewart and Jaden Ivey and/or Ron Holland but then the Grizzlies would be taking back money. It’s likely they would want two of Thompson, Ivey or Holland to go along with Stewart and a bunch of draft picks in the deal, which makes it less palatable for Detroit in terms of depth and team building.
JJJ’s salary is strangely hard to move to the Pistons given that it will be difficult to match his talent contractually without including three of the young players and leaving the Pistons with some big holes.
That said, if the Pistons could get it done for Ivey, Holland and picks, it’s a move they’d have to consider, but it may not be a deal that would interest Memphis, nor the best offer they’d get for one of the top fours in the league.