Jrue Holiday
My personal No. 1 pick for the Jazz to pursue via trade and the youngest player on this list at 28, Jrue Holiday may be someone who becomes available due to Anthony Davis‘ desire to leave the New Orleans Pelicans. That could send them into rebuilding mode and without real need of Holiday.
There’s a lot to love here. He’s got size and length (6-foot-4, with a 6-foot-7 wingspan) to allow him to play the one, two and even spot duty at the three. Also, he’s got a skillset on both sides of the ball to aid that positional versatility. For the year, he’s averaging a cool 21 points, eight assists, five boards and 1.6 steals per contest.
His ability to get points for himself and/or his teammates would make for a nice pairing with Donovan Mitchell, but his defense is also tantalizing. Of NOLA’s rotation regulars, he boasts the best D-rating on the team at just over 108 and the Pelicans allow five points per 100 possessions more when he sits.
In short, he’s a real difference-maker and his talents are wasted on the Pels if AD is on the way out and they’re not build to contend.
He’d be a pricey get at more than $25 million per yer, which is definitely something to take under consideration. Adding that kind of salary might preclude the Jazz from making further significant additions, but they would have him locked up for multiple years and their core would be set, which is a good place to be.