The NBA’s trade rumor mill has a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year cycle. It does not stop. 

One might expect that it would. At this stage in the season, you’d think we’d be more concerned with playoff seeding and championship aspirations. You’d be wrong. 

Of course, we’ve got an eye on the league’s current situation. Still, it’s impossible to ignore the broader landscape. Everything that happens in the present has implications for the near future. 

For example, the Portland Trail Blazers are allegedly considering sitting Damian Lillard for the rest of the year. That might not mean much.

Lillard is a veteran, and he may be nursing an injury that the Blazers don’t want to take a chance with. 

On the other hand, they could be planning on trading him to the Boston Celtics this summer.