Philadelphia 76ers Receive: G Damian Lillard
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: G/F Ben Simmons, G Tyrese Maxey, F Matisse Thybulle, PHI 2022 1st Round Pick, PHI 2024 1st Round Pick
The Philadelphia 76ers have been pushing for a Damian Lillard trade for months now, but the Portland Trail Blazers have been unwilling to give up their superstar point guard, and for good reason.
Lillard has NOT formally requested a trade, contrary to some reports, and he does want to win in Portland, which is why they are not willing to move him in a trade this offseason. Regardless, it remains something to watch in NBA trade rumors.
The 76ers are very willing to move Ben Simmons and have listened to numerous offers for him, as well as presented teams with a handful of trade proposals with him, but they have not made the move to trade Simmons yet. Could they be holding out on a Ben Simmons trade that way they have the assets they need to still pursue Lillard should/when he becomes available?
This is definitely the thought process in Philadelphia’s front office right now as Damian Lillard is the guy they want. Pairing him with Embiid and Harris instantly gives the 76ers the firepower on offense they would need to win a championship, which is why they are not moving any key assets yet.
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Damian Lillard’s price is not going to decline unless he was to sustain a major injury, and if Philly is going to have any chance of landing him from Portland, they are going to have to be willing to give up all of their top assets. Not only would this mean trading away Ben Simmons, but they would have to be willing to part ways with Maxey, Thybulle and some key first-round draft picks over the next few years.
Philadelphia was unwilling to trade Matisse Thybulle and Tyrese Maxey for Kyle Lowry at the trade deadline last year, but they could be willing to trade their two young talents for a superstar point guard like Damian Lillard.
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Once again, a trade like this is most likely not going to happen before the start of the 2021-22 season, but moving forward, Philadelphia is not going to go away in their pursuit of Damian Lillard.
All season long, they are going to be monitoring the situation in Portland, and should Lillard request out, the 76ers and Daryl Morey will be first in line on the phones with Blazers’ GM Neil Olshey.
