Indiana Pacers To Acquire Memphis Grizzlies Center Jay Huff In Trade

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers have agreed to terms on a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies that will send center Jay Huff to the Pacers.

In exchange, the Pacers will send a second-round draft pick and a second-round pick swap to the Grizzlies. The second rounder is a 2029 selection that originally belonged to the Portland Trail Blazers, and the second-round pick swap will give Memphis the second-best selection between the Miami Heat, Grizzlies, and Pacers in 2031. Indiana will get the worst pick while the Heat will get the best one.

The Pacers were willing to send away those smaller assets to get Huff because they are in need of center depth. With Myles Turner set to depart in free agency and head to the Milwaukee Bucks, Tony Bradley is the only center under contract for the blue and gold. They need more talent at the five.

Why did the Pacers trade for Jay Huff?

Insert Huff, who became a much more established player this past season with Memphis. He started the season on a two-way contract but played well enough that the Grizzlies converted his deal to a four-year standard contract last October. He then played in 64 games for Memphis before appearing in two postseason outings.

Indiana now inherits that contract, which is team friendly, especially if Huff remains a rotation player. His cap hit will be just over $2.3 million this season and $2.6 million in 2026-27. The following year, his contract contains a team option.

For a Pacers team dealing with financial considerations in the future relating to the luxury tax, a cheap contract for a possible contributor is worth acquiring. Huff, as of the trade, is the best center on the Pacers roster – though Indiana will likely add more on the interior during the offseason.

Huff averaged 6.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game last season across 64 outings. He only had 31 appearances in the NBA prior to last season, but he hit his stride in Memphis with both his jump shooting and his defense. That kept him on the floor and made him someone worth trading for.

“He can accept any role. He’s been in the league for a couple years. I think he’s really relishing this opportunity right now,” former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said of Huff. “He’s doing all the little things. Obviously him spacing the floor helps us a lot, but I love that at [seven-foot-one] how he’s running the floor, catching lobs, and doing something that not a lot of big guys do.”

Prior to the Grizzlies, Huff played for the Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Lakers. He was a four-year college player at The University of Virginia before reaching the NBA.

Even if the Pacers make other frontcourt moves, Huff could end up in their rotation. His three-point shooting (career 40.4%), mobility, and screen setting make him a good fit in Indiana’s up-tempo system that prioritizes efficiency. Huff has a career true shooting percentage over 67% – his shot making is strong, and the Pacers will hope he can improve in other ways.

Huff is on a minimum-salary deal, so the Pacers don’t have to trade away any contracts to bring in their new big man. Until other moves are agreed to, Huff will be the 12th Pacers player under contract. The NBA moratorium ends on Sunday.