Insider: Jazz Can Put the 'Best Deal' Together For Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard continues to be linked to the Utah Jazz in trade rumors. The latest comes from ESPN NBA insider Tim MacMahon, discussing the Jazz being a sleeper team in regard to acquiring Lillard via trade on The Hoop Collective Podcast with Brian Windhorst.
“You guys haven’t mentioned the team that can put the best ‘Dame deal’ on the table,” MacMahon said. “I’m about to get on a flight and head there tonight. I think the Utah Jazz—if they want to and I know that they are at a minimum intruged by the possiblity. That’s your potential sleeper team right there—and by way I think there would be at least some satisfaction Danny Ainge might take by preventing Pat Riley from getting a star. I’m not saying that’s the motivation if the Jazz do indeed go all in here.”
With the means to trump any offer, the Jazz certainly should be taken seriously in acquiring the future Hall-of-Famer. The million-dollar question is this: What would Utah need to sacrifice if it jumped in with both feet on Lillard?
Certainly, the hauls that Jazz CEO Danny Ainge took home in the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trades last year would be excessive.
With Lillard currently in the middle of a contract that isn’t exactly team friendly, there should be somewhat of a discount if a trade were to occur. The next four years have the potential to cripple a franchise if Lillard’s play on the court were to take a fall.
- 2023-24: $45.6 million | age 33
- 2024-25: $48.8 million | age 34
- 2025-26: $58.5 million | age 35
- 2026-27: $63.3 million | age 36
That’s a lot of dough owed to a player that’s had trouble staying on the court. In the last two years, Lillard has missed a total of 77 games.
However, despite being hit by the injury bug as of late, Lillard posted a career-high of 32.2 ppg while dishing out 7.3 assists this past season. The Portland Trail Blazers will certainly point to those numbers in any negotiations.
MacMahon didn’t speculate what the Jazz would have to relinquish in an exchange, but he did give his thoughts on what players he felt were safe from being involved if a trade were to happen.
“I think there would be two guys off limits in this — [Laurie] Markkanen and Walker Kessler,” MacMahon said.
The players that would most likely be part of the equation are Kelly Olynyk and Talen Horton-Tucker. The Blazers would be more than happy to take on a pair of expiring contracts that would provide salary cap relief in 2024-25.
Jazz fans can expect the rumors of Lillard potentially coming to Salt Lake City to continue until there’s closure on the matter. Stay tuned.
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