Jazz's two big trades look rough after injury news

The Utah Jazz made it clear they were ending their four-year rebuild last season when they made a blockbuster deal for Jaren Jackson, Jr. But a brutal start to the 2026-27 season could mean another year of misery for the long-suffering Jazz.

Jackson suffered a torn right MCL that will keep him off the court for 6-8 weeks, which likely means a minimum of 20 games. That injury, coupled with the offseason trade of Walker Kessler, leaves the Jazz woefully thin in the front court.

Utah Jazz's trades look rough so far

The Jazz gave up a sizable package to get Jackson and his four-year, $205M contract away from the Memphis Grizzlies this February. Utah sent Memphis three first-round picks, plus recent first-rounders Taylor Hendricks and Walter Clayton, to get the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year.

Perhaps concerned about recouping some of the draft assets they sacrificed for Jackson, the Jazz then traded restricted free agent center Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers, in exchange for two future first-round picks and two pick swaps. They also may have hesitated to give Kessler a big contract, with big deals for Jackson, Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen already on the books.

Instead, the Jazz tried to cobble together a rotation at center using 32-year-old Jusuf Nurkic, third-year center Kyle Filipowski, first-round bust Jaxson Hayes and occasional minutes from Jackson. That was before Nurkic injured his foot a week before the season, making the Jazz extremely thin at center. Hayes and Markkanen are banged up and Jackson is going to miss serious time.

Utah Jazz were overly optimistic about health

Jackson's injury is a huge blow for the Jazz, but it shouldn't be a big surprise. He's had a series of injuries throughout his career, including a sprain and a torn meniscus of his left knee, a broken foot and season-ending knee surgery last season.

Nurkic has also struggled to stay healthy since breaking two bones in his leg in 2019. He missed 41 games last season and 31 the year before with various ailments. Granted, Kessler missed nearly all of last season after tearing his shoulder labrum in the fifth game, so there were no guarantees.

But the result of the pair of moves is that the Jazz remain in limbo. It's a function of the team trying to hedge their bets. They traded for Jackson in order to try and compete, then flipped Kessler to stock up on picks — despite already owning first-rounders for the next six drafts, plus an extra first in 2029. Plus, the presence of Kessler alongside Luka Doncic on the Lakers greatly diminishes the value of a pick swap with L.A.

The timing couldn't be worse, either. While Jackson is out, the Jazz face Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs three times, Kessler and the Lakers twice and Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets twice. If Jackson misses more than six weeks, he'll also miss two games against Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The injury is bad luck for the Jazz, but it's also the consequence of a risky roster gamble. Utah tried to have it both ways by making a playoff push and stocking up on draft assets. Now all they're stocking up on is medical supplies.