With just 48 hours to go before the February 5th trade deadline, the NBA landscape is shifting beneath our feet. While we’re still waiting for the final word on heavyweights like James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and even Draymond Green, the day has already delivered a massive shockwave. The Memphis Grizzlies officially pulled the trigger on a blockbuster, sending 2018 fourth-overall pick Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz.
The deal-which saw JJJ land in Salt Lake City alongside John Konchar, Jock Landale, and Vince Williams Jr. in exchange for Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang, and three first-round picks, effectively ends an era in Memphis. It leaves Ja Morant as the “lone survivor” from that historic 2021-22 Grizzlies squad that secured 56 wins, the most in franchise history.
But as the dust settles, this trade has highlighted a staggering statistical anomaly that defines the modern NBA.
A League of No Loyalty: How the 2018 First Round Class became an NBA first
The most fascinating takeaway from the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade is that it completes a total wipeout: of the 30 players selected in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft, not a single one remains with the team that drafted them. We are talking about a class loaded with generational talent, scoring king Luka Doncic, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Trae Young, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges. Even Anfernee Simons was on the move today, shipped from the Celtics to the Bulls in exchange for Nikola Vucevic.
When you look at the entire 60-pick draft, only Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks remains with his original team, and he was a second-round selection. What does this tell us? In today’s NBA, nobody is safe. Unless your name is Stephen Curry or LeBron James, you are essentially a movable asset.
The fact that an entire draft class, one arguably top-heavy with future Hall of Famers, has been shuffled across the league at least once is a historic testament to how quickly front offices are willing to pivot to find the “next big thing.”
Mikal Bridges and JJJ command more picks than Luka or Trae
Perhaps the most confusing part of this 2018 movement is the disparate value these stars have commanded in the trade market. Luka Doncic and Trae Young were famously traded for each other on draft night, but their subsequent valuations have been curiously modest compared to specialized “impact” players.
While the “Luka to the Lakers” trade was a massive narrative shift, the actual draft capital involved in those superstar moves often pales in comparison to the hauls seen for high-level “role” stars. Take Mikal Bridges, whose trade value skyrocketed to five future first-round picks, or this recent JJJ move which netted three first-rounders.
It seems the league has entered a value paradox: build-around superstars like Young and Doncic are often moved for specific player packages, whereas “D-and-Player” archetypes like Bridges or Jackson Jr. are being treated as the ultimate missing pieces, commanding treasure chests of picks.
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