As the NBA offseason transaction period begins in earnest this week with Thursday’s annual draft, the Utah Jazz are in the thick of trade rumors around the league.
The Jazz actually already made a trade three years ago that will affect this year’s draft, as they sent a future first-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Mike Conley trade that will convey on Thursday as the 22nd selection.
Well, Utah and Memphis are back in the transaction business with each other, but this time it’s something that only sort of has to do with NBA hoops.
Last week, Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City posted on Instagram that it had received a giraffe from Memphis Zoo.
The giraffe’s name: Ja Raffe, with Hogle Zoo saying the animal is named after Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant.
According to the zoo, the giraffe, a male, is 11⁄2 years old and stands 10 feet tall (according to Zoologist, full-grown male giraffes average between 16.4 feet and 19.7 feet tall).
The zoo said Ja Raffe will be in quarantine for 30 days before meeting the rest of the giraffes there.