Report: Jazz Would 'Absolutely Consider' a Damian Lillard Trade
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The Utah Jazz enter the 2023 offseason positioned to make significant moves. The means are in place for a blockbuster trade if an opportunity presents itself, but what superstars are available?
The Athletic's insider Tony Jones shared his thoughts on ESPN 700's The Bill Riley Show, specifically about the Jazz trading for Portland Trail Blazers All-Star Damian Lillard
“That is a layered question. I’ve had some discussions about this and I think that the Jazz would absolutely consider it,” Jones said in an appearance on ESPN 700. “Lillard is going to be 33 this summer. So there is risk involved in that he is not the same age as Utah's [championship] timeline. Utah's timeline right now is 22 to 26 [years old] and Lilard is 33. Then when Lillard is either 36 or 37 years old, he’s going to be making $60 million, so the contract has a chance to get really ugly.”
Jones then pivoted and dished on the reasons Utah would at least consider cashing in its chips if the future Hall-of-Famer became available.
“He’s still in his prime. I thought he maybe had the best season of his career this year. Under the radar, I thought he had a first-team All-NBA-type season. He’s definitely a star. I will tell you this: the Jazz look at next year's draft class as very weak. They don’t see a reason to be bad enough to keep the draft pick. So I do think that they’re going to make a real effort to improve significantly over the next year. So for that reason, I do think they would consider Lillard.”
There’s no doubt Lillard coming to Salt Lake City would energize a fan base, but taking a hard look at his contract, age, and injury history, it’s a pass from this point of view.
Lillard’s contract runs through 2027 with player options in 2025 and 2027. In the final two years of the contract, Utah would be on the hook for $111 million to a player that would be well into the back nine of his playing career.
Remember, this is a player that has had back-to-back injury-plagued seasons, missing a combined 77 games over the two years. When you also consider the draft capital it would take to extract Lillard from Portland, it makes it an even easier decision.
That being said, finding a young superstar via trade that fits Utah’s championship window is a lot easier said than done. Luka Doncic has been rumored to be disgruntled with what materialized in Dallas this year, but I’d be floored if he hit the trade block.
Dallas has its young All-Star under team control through 2026. That’s too much time for the Mavericks to call it quits on a top-five player in the NBA.
What about Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown? The young All-Star has ties to Jazz CEO Danny Ainge and doesn’t appear to be happy playing in Boston.
The problem with this scenario is Brown is an unrestricted free agent in 2024. Even if Brown wanted out of Boston, it’s not realistic he would give up his free agency to do a sign-and-trade to come to Salt Lake City.
Trades that appear to make sense on the surface often have moving parts that take the exchange out of the realm of possibility. Something may have to come out of left field for Utah, as it did with the Cleveland Cavaliers last summer in the Donovan Mitchell trade.
But if/when opportunity knocks, the Jazz have the assets, cap space, and savvy CEO to pull it off.
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