The thought of the New York Knicks having four players capable of taking home the Defensive Player of the Year award seems ridiculous, but a recent mock trade makes that a potential reality.
Lance Roberson of Athlon Sports Nation’s All Knicks shared a proposed deal that sends Julius Randle to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Grizzlies’ 2026 and 2029 first-round picks.
Knicks could luck up on rising star after under-the-radar 2023-24 season
The Knicks would come away with great assets from this deal. Jackson Jr. is a talented power forward who can also slide over to the center slot. The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year went under the radar in 2023-24 as a result of the Grizzlies’ poor 27-55 record. Nevertheless, he took the next step as a scorer while continuing to dominate on the defensive end.
The Michigan State product crossed the 20-point-per-game threshold for the first time since entering the league in 2018. Jackson Jr. stepped up with Ja Morant having missed 73 games and gave Memphis 22.5 points while more than doubling his assists to 2.3 per night. He was not able to lead the league in blocks for the third straight year, but he still sent back 1.6 shots per contest.
The upside Jaren Jackson Jr. could assume on the Knicks
With Jackson Jr. in New York, the Knicks could heighten their championship odds. The former No. 4 overall pick plays a very fast brand of basketball. He is also able to space the floor and most importantly, spots up efficiently with a quick trigger. On defense, Jackson Jr. recovers from the weak side perhaps better than any player in the league. The New Jersey native has a propensity to get into foul trouble, scratching at the door of four personal fouls per game with 3.7 for his career, but the sheer idea of what he and Mitchell Robinson could do in protecting the rim together is a scary thought.
Knicks would have four all-world defenders with trade for Jackson Jr.
He may not be the natural scorer that Randle is, but he would be a reliable 20 PPG scorer next to All-Star Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby. Defensively, he owns a DPOY, Bridges finished as runner-up for the award in 2022 and Anunoby is a former All-Defensive Second Team honoree and former steals leader who could take home the award in the future. Robinson has an outside chance to win the award each season out, but health and minutes have kept him from gaining serious consideration. Nevertheless, he too has the toolbox to build toward the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy.
As is, the Knicks have a lot of mouths to feed on offense. Jackson Jr. would be a player who can get his without needing the ball in his hands nor a lot of time to burn off of the shot clock in order to get quality looks. What he could provide on both ends of the floor, coupled with his upside makes this a potential deal that the Knicks should consider, especially seeing that they can get back a couple of the handful of first-rounders they traded away to the Brooklyn Nets for Bridges this summer.
