Jazz go big with Jaren Jackson Jr. trade

The Utah Jazz made a big splash by trading three future picks and two prospects to the Memphis Grizzlies for Jaren Jackson Jr., a trade that gives the Jazz both a star and one of the biggest starting lineups in the NBA.

The 6-foot-10 Jackson will join 7-foot-1 Lauri Markkanen and 6-foot-11 Jusuf Nurkic in the starting lineup, with 7-foot-2 Walker Kessler coming back from injury next season. The deal also moves 6-foot-9 rookie Ace Bailey to shooting guard, meaning the deal and the result are both huge.

Jaren Jackson Jr. thrives alongside a center

While Jackson is an excellent shot blocker and rim protector, he tends to get into foul trouble when he has to guard opposing centers. He's thrived alongside big men like Steven Adams and 7-foot-4 Zach Edey, a combination that allows him to roam on defense as a shot-blocker and makes his subpar rebounding less of an issue.

Jackson's presence should dramatically improve the Jazz's league-worst defense, which is hurt by their lack of shot-blocking. It may make things more difficult for Markkanen, who now has to guard quicker small forwards, after primarily playing at the four, but he will have quite a bit of protection behind him at the rim.

Nurkic is a free agent this summer who has thrived in Utah, averaging 11.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists. Kessler, who led the league in offensive rebounds and blocked 2.4 shots per game last season, is a restricted free agent, but it's hard to imagine the Jazz won't sign him long-term after making this blockbuster deal.

Utah Jazz are betting on one-on-one basketball

What the Jazz sacrificed in their pursuit of stars and size is passing. Neither Keyonte George nor Isaiah Collier is a traditional, ball-distributing point guard — though they are both tall for their position at 6-foot-4, as is newly acquired combo guard Vince William, Jr. Bailey, Jackson and Markkanen average 1.6, 1.9 and 2.2 assists, respectively, very low numbers for wing players.

However, the Jazz will often have physical advantages over their defenders that could make assist numbers far less important than beating defenders one-on-one. And to succeed in the Western Conference, size may be a necessity.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. The San Antonio Spurs have Victor Wembanyama. The Minnesota Timberwolves have Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid. The Denver Nuggets have Nikola Jokic. Size is going to be necessary to get through the Western Conference gauntlet.

The Houston Rockets may be the best model. They also play extremely big lineups, with Alperen Sengun often playing alongside a center, with 6-foot-11 Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. logging time at small forward and even shooting guard. 6-foot-7 Amen Thompson starts at point guard and 6-foot-8 Tari Eason is often the shooting guard.

The Rockets have shown that brutalizing opponents with size is a winning strategy, particularly when one of those oversized wings can score like Durant or Markkanen.

At the NBA trade deadline, teams often want to go big or go home. The Jazz are trying to go big and go back to the playoffs.