Grade the Trade: Nauseating new proposal sees Grizzlies give up on Jaren Jackson Jr.

Laying out the trade

To Loring, Edey's arrival in Grind City adds, in his words, "a bit of redundancy" to the roster, as both he and Jackson are defensive-minded bigs who have generated a following as a result of their rim-protecting excellence.

Because of this, he is proposing an deal involving the 24-year-old shipping out to New York City in an exchange that would add Julius Randle to this win-now Grizzlies rotation.

Citing the loss of Isaiah Hartenstein's efforts on the less glamorous side of the ball following his signing with the OKC Thunder during this summer's free agency, Loring argues that adding a guy of Jackson's ilk to serve as a replacement simultaneously to both him and, should they partake in this exchange, Randle could be a highly strategic and impactful move for them to make.

It's hard to disagree.

The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year led the league in blocks from 2021-2023 and sports a defensive rating of 108 for his career.

He would be a beloved contributor within a Tom Thibodeau-led scheme, and his averages of 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game over the last three seasons would be an exciting addition to a starting lineup already consisting of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson.

While he may not be an established All-NBA talent like Randle (not yet, anyway), there are many reasons to believe New York would be improving their roster with such a trade, as not only would they be adding even more defensive versatility to their already stacked rotation, but they'd also be getting younger (Randle is five years Jackson's senior) and adding valuable draft capital along the way.

If this type of idea was floated in front of Leon Rose, there's little to no doubt he would accept the offer right on the spot.

But what about the Grizzlies?