Jazz Named ‘Intriguing’ Damian Lillard Trade Suitor

If NBA star Damian Lillard requests a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report believes the Utah Jazz have an enticing package for the seven-time All-Star.

The Jazz acquired a bevy of draft picks last summer when the franchise traded All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

“Thanks to the trades that unloaded Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in 2022, Utah has several picks in addition to their own over the next several years. Four or five with salary filler might make Portland think (again, if Dame actually asks out),” Bailey wrote. “And while it’s hard to imagine plenty of superstars wanting to stick around Utah, Lillard has already spent over a decade in a smaller market. He played his college basketball at Utah’s Weber State University, and he’s expressed an openness to playing for the Jazz.”

The Jazz recently traded for power forward John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks. If they figured out a way to acquire Lillard, they would have a Big 4 of Lillard, Collins, forward Lauri Markkanen and center Walker Kessler.

Lillard met with Blazers officials on June 26 to discuss the future of the franchise. The Miami Heat are hopeful the future Hall of Famer will eventually request a trade so they can acquire him since he’s already openly said he would like to play in Miami with star center Bam Adebayo.

Lillard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists this past season. The Jazz could be contenders with the Weber State product in the fold next to Collins, Markkanen and Kessler, but there have been no reports linking Utah to Dame.

Lillard has career averages of 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.7 assists. He’s one of the greatest players in NBA history, but he has never been to the NBA Finals. Most people around the league believe the guard needs to request a trade to the Heat to compete for a title.