The Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard seem nearing the inevitable point of the NBA superstar lifecycle ahead of a mutual understanding that a trade is the best course of action.
It’s becoming an annual occurrence for Lillard to sit out games to end the regular season while the Trail Blazers try to tank to maximize their draft positioning. Given how many teams were competitive for much longer this season, Lillard is nowhere close to contending in Portland. He needs a new situation.
Our sources indicate that Lillard truly would like to play elsewhere. It would be far from the first time that’s the case, either. However, until he does indeed reach an agreement with the Trail Blazers that it’s mutually best to move on, there will be constant speculation about what’s next.
The Trail Blazers’ options are limited as far as making roster upgrades are concerned. If Lillard becomes too discontent with that fact, here are three potential trade suitors to watch for him.
Miami Heat
There is a genuine possibility that while Jimmy Butler is one of the NBA’s top playoff performers, his personality has been wearing on the Miami Heat. That’s not too surprising. He is an intense individual, and he’s been with the franchise for four seasons now. Is there a path to change this?
The Heat are not a team that likes to undergo a full-scale teardown, but they also don’t appreciate mediocre basketball. A pivot to win with Damian Lillard as a franchise cornerstone could be an intriguing option. Perhaps it could inspire the Heat to be more patient with Butler as they compete during a short-term title contention window.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & Miami Heat Updates
In terms of the mechanics of executing a trade, the Heat face real limitations. They are thin on assets and would surely need to move one of Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro as the centerpieces of a deal. It wouldn’t make sense to part with Adebayo if the goal is to win with Lillard but is Portland intrigued by Herro?
Philadelphia 76ers
If the Philadelphia 76ers fall short of a deep playoff run, it seems almost inevitable that James Harden will depart for the Houston Rockets this offseason. If that were to occur, the Sixers would need to act quickly as far as finding a co-star to pair with Joel Embiid is concerned.
Embiid is playing at an elite level and very well could be this season’s MVP. Given his injury history, he’s not likely to have a long prime, so it’s essential to make the most of each season he has. Bringing a dynamic threat like Lillard would certainly help.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & Philadelphia 76ers Updates
One of the concerns for the Sixers would naturally be Embiid and his willingness to continually set screens within the half-court instead of constantly touching the ball. He had to build that continuity with Harden, but Lillard spends even more time operating out of pick-and-roll than Harden does.
Boston Celtics
While the mechanics of getting it done would be rather complicated, our sources have informed us that Lillard has long wanted to team up to play with Jayson Tatum. As some questions continue to be raised about Jaylen Brown’s future with the Boston Celtics franchise, perhaps there’s a pathway.
The risk for the Trail Blazers would be that Brown has a difficult contract extension landscape due to limitations posed by the CBA. While teams will soon be able to offer up to 140 percent of the final year salary for the first year of a new deal — up from 120 percent — it still would be a challenge.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & Boston Celtics Updates
If the Trail Blazers have an understanding with Brown that they are set to engage in a long-term partnership, perhaps they could have risk tolerance in a trade where he is the centerpiece of a return. Moving Lillard to a new team would have to come with real answers, though.
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