Golden State Warriors Receive: G Damian Lillard
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: F Andrew Wiggins, C James Wiseman, F Eric Paschall, MIN 2021 1st Round Pick (Pick No. 7), GSW 2023 1st Round Pick (Top-4 Protected)
In any trade scenario for Damian Lillard, the Warriors would almost have to trade away both Andrew Wiggins and James Wiseman to make the financials of this trade possibly work. Lillard is set to make $39.3M during the 2021-22 season and with the Warriors not having any cap flexibility at the moment, they would have to send back contracts that equate to the total they take in or greater.
Wiggins and Wiseman will make $31.5M and $9.1M respectively next season, which is why trading both of them automatically gets the Warriors to $40.6M in salaries, enough to hypothetically land Damian Lillard from a cap perspective.
In this trade proposal, Golden State would not only send Wiggins and Wiseman to Portland, but they would also trade Eric Paschall and two first round picks to the Blazers. Paschall has been in the league for two seasons now and was named to the 2019-20 All-Rookie team.
The two draft picks the Warriors would be sending to Portland would be the 7th pick in this year’s draft, as well as a first-round pick in 2023 that would come with very limited protections on it since the Warriors traded away their 2024 1st Round pick already and are unable to trade away picks in multiple years due to the Stepien Rule.
READ MORE: Predictions for NBA Trade Rumors: Beal, Lillard, McCollum, Porzingis & Siakam
However, they can get away with trading picks in back-to-back years if they are swaps or if they have certain protections on them, but these “loopholes” can get confusing with what is protected and what is not.
The Portland Trail Blazers are not just going to trade away Lillard for the sake of trading him away, which is why the only way they will look to deal him is if he requests a trade. There has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding Dame’s future with the Blazers over the last few months, especially with all of the drama that transpired with their coaching search.
Lillard now has a big decision to make in regards to his future in Portland because he really needs to figure out if he can turn this team into a true championship contender or not. If the answer is no, the 6x All-NBA performer will likely request to be traded so he can try and win championships somewhere else.
Golden State is a great place for Lillard to go not only because he would be in Silicon Valley, where he can grow his brand outside of basketball even further, but because he would be pairing up with three guys who know what it takes to win a championship.
READ MORE: Predictions for NBA Trade Rumors: Beal, Lillard, McCollum, Porzingis & Siakam
While they have had some down years over the last two seasons, Golden State is going to be very much in the mix championship-wise during the 2021-22 season, assuming they can stay healthy.
They won a championship by themselves in 2015, they won multiple championships with Kevin Durant next to them, so there is no reason why the Warriors could not win another championship after adding Damian Lillard to their squad.
While Portland would probably want some more value in terms of future draft picks from the Warriors, this trade definitely gives them a lot of value in terms of personnel. Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman and Eric Paschall can not only contribute now, but they can continue to grow into very valuable players moving forward, which is why the Blazers could be intrigued by this offer.
