Damian Lillard wants to be a member of the Miami Heat. Apparently, the NBA has other plans for him. Perhaps that’s not fair. Obviously, the league wouldn’t veto a Lillard trade to Miami. Still, it’s recently surfaced that the league has issued a statement.
They’ll subject Lillard and his camp to discipline if they refuse to report to other teams. That makes sense. The NBA wants there to be a fair trade market for the Portland Trail Blazers. If he’ll only join one team, that becomes an impossibility.
This creates the potential for other suitors to emerge. If Lillard is being effectively forced to broaden his range of options, other teams could join the fray. Here are three teams that we think could be dark horse suitors for his services.
Brooklyn Nets
In fact, we may be using the term “dark horse” a bit liberally here. Let’s frame it this way: any team that isn’t the Miami Heat is a dark horse suitor. With that said, the Brooklyn Nets make a lot of intuitive sense.
This team has an interesting roster. Mikal Bridges had a breakout season last year. He looks like a viable second option on a contending team. Meanwhile, the Nets have a deep roster full of quality defensive players. With that said, they don’t have a contending-quality number one option.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & Brooklyn Nets Updates
What they do have is the assets to land one. Unlike the Heat, the Nets have a deep collection of first-round picks. If they’re interested in Lillard, they can make a compelling offer for him. If they’re not, the Portland Trail Blazers might have to look elsewhere.
Toronto Raptors
By contrast, the Toronto Raptors are a less obvious suitor. In fact, this team is supposed to blow up their roster this summer. Why would they trade for Lillard? Well, the Raptors need to replace Fred VanVleet. Let’s start there.
Of course, most would expect them to replace him with a younger player. The Raptors are widely expected to trade Pascal Siakam and rebuild around Scottie Barnes. Do they absolutely have to do that? No.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & Toronto Raptors Updates
For a long time, the Blazers were rumored to be looking to acquire Siakam to pair with Lillard. Could the Raptors be interested in the same arrangement? If not, could Portland look to keep Lillard in the Western Conference?
New Orleans Pelicans
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans are one of the more difficult teams to project. They’ve got the talent to contend – in theory. In practice, Zion Williamson’s health is far too volatile to make a safe bet on.
So, sinking assets into Lillard would be a risky bet. Sometimes, you’ve got to make those. The Pelicans need to either trade Williamson, or operate under the assumption that he’ll be healthy. If they plan on keeping him, they should see themselves as title contenders.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & New Orleans Pelicans Updates
If they follow that logic, they’ll be interested in Lillard. Like the Brooklyn Nets, the Pelicans have a surplus of draft capital and some intriguing young players – they could get a deal done. If all goes well, Lillard could be forgetting all about the Miami Heat before we know it.
Want the latest NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here. Follow NBA Analysis Network on Twitter and Facebook.
