Jazz Mailbag: Would A Trade For Damian Lillard Make Sense?

SALT LAKE CITY – Welcome to the Utah Jazz mailbag, where this week we look at whether a Damian Lillard trade would make sense for the Jazz.

Each week, we will send out a prompt on X and BlueSky asking for the questions you have about the Jazz.

Then, we’ll respond in that week’s Jazz mailbag.

Jazz Mailbag: Should Jazz Trade For Damian Lillard?

Does it make sense for jazz to take on Lillard for a pick? And send them any vets outside of Lauri they desire for salary purposes.

— Tj jones (@Tjjones839783) May 5, 2025

Question: Does it make sense for Jazz to take on Damian Lillard for a pick? And send them any vets outside of Lauri Markkanen they desire for salary purposes.

Answer: Last week, we explored the Jazz making a different trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo in exchange for a package that would include this summer’s top-five lottery pick.

Related: Jazz Mailbag – Could Jazz Trade For Antetokounmpo?

Now, we turn our attention to Damian Lillard, who suffered a devastating Achilles tendon injury in Milwaukee’s first-round elimination against the Indiana Pacers.

When discussing Lillard, it’s important to recognize that due to the timing of the injury, he’s almost certain to miss all of the 2025-26 campaign, and will be 36 years old the next time he steps on the floor in a competitive NBA game.

While the guard may still have gas left in the tank, based on age, size, and his latest injury, he’s unlikely to return to All-Star form.

With that in mind, let’s look at what a Lillard trade might look like.

Bucks Trade: Damian Lillard, 2032 unprotected first-round pick

Jazz Outgoing: John Collins, Collin Sexton, KJ Martin

Now, let’s examine the motivation for each team to make a Lillard trade.

Value For Milwaukee Bucks

With Lillard eating up $54 million next season, nearly a third of their salary cap, they simply don’t have enough talent on the floor around Antetokounmpo to compete for a championship.

Despite Antetokounmpo still playing at an MVP level, the talent around him has steadily degraded since winning a title in 2021, and Milwaukee stands no chance of repeating with their current roster.

By trading Lillard to the Jazz, the Bucks could add multiple quality rotation players in Collins, Sexton, and Martin, all of whom are on expiring contracts, increasing their talent pool and adding flexibility by shedding Lillard’s contract (which runs through 2027) a year earlier than expected.

 

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Milwaukee could allow its new additions to audition for a year before deciding on their future, or use them in trade talks to add different talent at the deadline.

Furthermore, the Bucks could become players in free agency in 2026, a year before Antetokounmpo could become a free agent himself.

Adding a future unprotected first-round pick is not ideal for Milwaukee, but they simply don’t have many other assets to shake up their roster without trading their Greek superstar.

Value For Utah Jazz

For the Jazz, the trade is a larger gamble, but has a potentially high payoff, it fits their current team-building model, and also has some hidden benefits.

First and foremost, it’s extremely unlikely that the Jazz could get a future unprotected first-round pick in exchange for Collins or Sexton in any other trade.

While both players will have value on the trade market as proven starters, they won’t return an asset that matches the level of what Milwaukee could offer the Jazz.

The Jazz currently own unprotected future firsts from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Phoenix Suns, and have a lightly protected first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2027, and adding another similar asset from a different franchise further helps them diversify their war chest.

An updated look at the @utahjazz‘s future draft assets after today’s three-for-draft draft swap. #TakeNote https://t.co/FCy7v4zvez

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 22, 2025

Second, by subtracting Collins and Sexton, and adding Lillard, who won’t see the floor, the Jazz would carve out a much cleaner pathway to another high draft pick next year.

While fans may bemoan another losing campaign, the Jazz could avoid the injury report shenanigans that took place this season to ensure a top-five selection.

With Taylor Hendricks returning from injury and the Jazz adding another top-five pick this summer, developmental minutes on the court will be at a premium. Clearing nearly 60 minutes a night belonging to Collins and Sexton would make it easier for the young players to find the floor.

Third, though Lillard is unlikely to return to All-Star form in the 2026-27 season, the Jazz could see how the guard fits on the roster as the team begins to exit its rebuild, or would have a valuable asset in his $58 million expiring contract.

If 12 to 18 months from now, another team on the market is looking to begin their rebuild by unloading a max player, having an enormous expiring contract, plus a treasure trove of assets, could allow the Jazz to pull off a blockbuster trade to accelerate their timeline, or to add yet more draft capital.

Essentially, the Jazz could double-dip on asset accumulation by turning the expiring contracts of Collins, Sexton, and Martin into another larger expiring contract, while getting value back in both trades.

The downside for the Jazz lies in the unknown value of Milwaukee’s future first-round pick.

If Milwaukee is competitive in 2032, the Jazz will have given up valuable players in Sexton and Collins, plus Martin’s expiring contract for a singular mediocre asset, while sacrificing some of their current optionality.

Are There Any Legs To This Deal?

Like all hypothetical moves, a trade like this is unlikely to occur based on the number of players, assets, financial pieces, and unknown entities (other offers, player preference, etc).

However, this proposal is unique in that the motivation for both teams fits their current time and organizational model, and could easily be sold as a win-win.

The Bucks can maintain an open window for Antetokounmpo to compete for a title by adding talent and flexibility, while the Jazz deepen their asset pool, maximize value for their current expiring contracts, clear a pathway for their young players to see the floor, and welcome a local fan-favorite in Lillard.

It’s a long shot, but perhaps less farfetched than last week’s Antetokounmpo trade discussion.

Want to ask questions in next week’s Jazz mailbag? Give us a follow at @kslsports.

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Ben Anderson is the author of the Jazz Mailbag, a Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports, and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky. 

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