In the wake of Damian Lillard requesting a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, one NBA writer believes the Toronto Raptors should trade for the seven-time All-Star.
Michael Pina of The Ringer proposed that the Raptors trade Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent Jr., Chris Boucher, Thaddeus Young, Otto Porter Jr., an unprotected first-round pick in 2028 and a pick swap in 2029 to the Blazers for Lillard.
“Lillard fills the superduperstar vacuum that Kawhi Leonard’s departure created in 2019,” Pina wrote. “Conveniently enough, on the Raptors, Lillard would also slide onto a roster that ameliorates some of his most visible shortcomings. Anunoby and Siakam are perfect as long, versatile wing defenders who can ease his burden on the defensive end and diversify how Toronto wants to attack. Jakob Poeltl makes perfect sense, too, as a trustworthy pick-and-roll partner and sturdy rim protector.”
Lillard has demanded that the Blazers trade him to the Miami Heat. However, Portland doesn’t have to honor the request since Lillard doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & Toronto Raptors Updates
Back in the summer of 2018, the Raptors acquired Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs despite Leonard making it known behind the scenes he wanted the Spurs to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers. Masai Ujiri took a huge risk trading for a player with one year left on his contract. The gamble paid off, as Leonard guided the Raptors to the 2019 title over the Golden State Warriors.
Even though Leonard left for the Clippers in the summer of 2019, he’s still a Raptors legend. Maybe Ujiri could recreate his Leonard magic with Lillard, who averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists last season for the Blazers.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & Toronto Raptors Updates
Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, has been advising non-Heat teams to not trade for his client. The Blazers have not been impressed by the Heat’s trade package for Lillard, so it appears a third team will need to get involved for Lillard to land in Miami.
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