The Utah Jazz will be without newly acquired forward Jaren Jackson Jr. for the remainder of the season after a medical issue was discovered following his arrival in Salt Lake City.
The team announced that Jackson will undergo surgery to remove a pigmented villonodular synovitis growth in his left knee. The condition was detected during an MRI conducted as part of his post-trade physical. Jackson and the organization decided he will have the procedure during the All-Star break, and he is expected to miss the rest of the season.
Jackson had appeared in three games for Utah after being acquired at last week’s NBA trade deadline. In those outings, he averaged 22.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and two blocks per game while shooting 49% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range.
The former Kia Defensive Player of the Year was part of a major deadline deal that sent Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three future first-round picks to Memphis. In return, Utah received Jackson, Jock Landale, John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr. Landale was later moved to Atlanta in a separate trade.
For the season, Jackson is averaging 19.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 47.6% overall and 35.7% from beyond the arc.
The fourth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Jackson spent his first eight seasons with the Grizzlies, forming a core alongside Ja Morant as Memphis rose from the lottery to playoff contention. He is under contract through the 2029-30 season, which includes a player option.
Utah had added Jackson to a young core that features All-Star Lauri Markkanen, guard Keyonte George, forward Ace Bailey and injured center Walker Kessler. Konchar remains under contract through next season, while Williams holds a team option for 2026-27.
Now, the Jazz will move forward without one of their biggest trade acquisitions until at least the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
