After knocking off the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, the Boston Celtics are now just four wins away from winning the NBA championship. Despite how well they performed this year, there is a chance they could get even better in the offseason.
For years, the basketball community has awaited the Damian Lillard sweepstakes. Portland has fallen short of its goals countless times, and it’s clear they aren’t in a position to compete for a title. With that in mind, many have wanted the All-Star point guard to request a trade and land in a better position of contention.
The Portland Trail Blazers kept their core intact for years, but that all changed at the trade deadline. They parted ways with multiple key players and embraced a youth movement. While this could mean Portland is gearing for a rebuild, that might not be the case.
Given that Lillard is under contract long-term, the Trail Blazers have the star power to compete in the Western Conference. Instead of doing a full-scale rebuild, they could flip their young players and draft capital to put a new supporting cast around Lillard.
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If the Portland Trail Blazers does decide to blow it up completely and move their franchise cornerstone, the Boston Celtics are a potential suitor to watch. Given their mix of large contracts and enticing young players, they have the pieces to pull off a trade of this magnitude. More importantly, Boston can get it done without sacrificing Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, or Marcus Smart.
It would cost them some depth, but adding Lillard to the lineup would give Boston one of the scariest cores in the league. Tatum continues to ascend to superstardom and would be flanked by one of the league’s best scoring guards.
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Not to mention having the Defensive Player of the Year next to Damian Lillard could hide his biggest weakness. There is no telling what Boston will plan to do after this season, but if they wanted to make a home run swing, this is it.
