Jazz Getting in on the Jrue Holiday Bidding is a Tough Call

The Utah Jazz should consider making an offer for Jrue Holliday.

Utah Jazz fans finally got closure on the Damian Lillard front. On Wednesday, the future Hall-of-Famer was dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks in an exchange that saw Jrue Holiday and Deandre Ayton headed to the Portland Trail Blazers. 

The ending of the Lillard saga brings up an interesting question. Should the Jazz make an attempt to trade for Holiday? According to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the two-time All-Star is likely to be dealt sooner rather than later.

“The Blazers remain engaged elsewhere on deals and will are expected to immediately engage contending teams on trade talks to move on Jrue Holiday, sources tell ESPN. Portland is committed to its young group of talented guards.

Holiday is an intriguing piece, and Utah has the means to trump any offer on the table. This is assuming the Oklahoma City Thunder wouldn't be interested due to the young talent (Josh Giddey) already rostered at the point guard position. 

Utah acquiring Lillard never made sense from this point of view, but Holiday would move the needle on some levels.

If there’s one glaring weakness on Utah’s current roster, it’s defending wings. Last season, opposing guards feasted on what the Jazz had to offer defensively in the backcourt. 

Jazz fans may recall Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Fred Van Vleet, Josh Green, and Jaylen Nowell having career days against Utah’s guards. I can see this backcourt having similar issues this year.

Holiday has made the All-Defensive first team three times while making the second team twice. Utah hasn’t had a guard make first-team All-Defense in the history of the franchise. Shockingly, John Stockton has never made the cut, although he has made the second team five times. 

Also, Holiday would be a perfect player to mentor rookie guard Keyonte George. The 14-year veteran has the experience paired with a reputation of having a positive locker room presence that bodes well for a nineteen-year-old just entering the league. Certainly, the Jazz would be more competitive this year if they decided to make the plunge.

Holiday is owed $34.9 million in 2023-24, with a player option of $37 million in 2024-25. My money is on opting in next year, considering he’ll be 34 years old, but that’s no guarantee. 

The next question is, what would it take to acquire Holiday? He’s not going to be cheap, but it wouldn’t break the bank, either. Utah has some expiring contracts on hand that could help facilitate an exchange, but Portland will want more than that. 

I’d imagine Collin Sexton, a first-round pick, and some expiring contracts (Kelly Olynyk, Simone Fontecchio, Talen Horton-Tucker) would get it done. That’s a lot to give up for a player who’s not guaranteed to be around for more than a year and doesn’t fit in Utah’s championship window. 

However, having $37 million coming off the books in two years may play to Utah’s advantage.

Bottom Line

Holiday brings a lot to the table, and Portland won’t be short-changed when looking for a return. An exchange would make this upcoming year one to remember, but the price might be too steep, considering he could opt out in a year and the Jazz being a couple of years away from contending for a title.

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