Apparently, a mystery team in the NBA’s Eastern Conference is interested in Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers. This is exciting for fans around the league. After all, there’s been little mystery around Lillard’s future. By all accounts, he’s supposed to land on the Miami Heat.
Will he? That’s less clear. The Heat don’t necessarily have the best package to offer for Lillard. Recently, it’s been suggested that the Heat are “daring” the Blazers to find a better offer for Lillard than the one they’d offer. That’s a risky move. What happens if Portland finds an offer?
Sure, Lillard allegedly is only interested in joining Miami. If another team did acquire him, couldn’t he change his tune? Surely, Lillard isn’t looking to retire. He may decide to join whichever team trades for him. If that team happened to reside in Florida as well, that would be convenient. Here’s a deal that has Lillard landing on the Orlando Magic.
The Trade Proposal
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: F/C Jonathan Isaac, G Markelle Fultz, G/F Gary Harris, 2024 First-Round Pick (ORL), 2026 First-Round Pick (ORL), 2028 First-Round Pick (ORL)
Orlando Magic Receive: G Damian Lillard
Could the Magic be that mystery team? Some will consider that to be unlikely. Sure, Orlando showed some signs of life last year. This team is ready to take a step forward. Are they really ready to make this type of win-now push?
Shouldn’t it be the Boston Celtics? Even the Toronto Raptors are closer to contention than the Magic. Typically, young teams in this stage of a rebuild don’t take a swing on a team like Lillard. Are we sure about this?
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat & Orlando Magic Updates
No. Perhaps the Magic should stay the course. The more obvious path for this team is to hang onto their draft capital and make a similar move when ready. At the same time, we can justify this deal for Orlando, too. Here’s our justification.
Why The Orlando Magic Do The Deal
The Magic have a lot of talent. This team should be ready to stop mining the lottery for talent. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are franchise cornerstones, and players like Anthony Plack, Wendell Carter Jr., and others could be long-term fixtures in this organization.
With that said, the Magic are missing a piece. This team has plenty of young talent at the point guard spot, but they’re missing shooting at that position. Granted, acquiring Lillard to cover that base could be seen as overkill. Couldn’t they go get a younger guard at a lower price?
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat & Orlando Magic Updates
Yes. On the other hand, that guard won’t be Damian Lillard. Here, the Magic are trying to take less of a step forward and more of a massive leap ahead. Lillard is a strong enough basketball fit that it just might work. Should the Blazers really send him to Orlando?
Why The Portland Trail Blazers Do The Deal
Let’s talk about what Miami could offer Portland. They’re light on draft capital, but Miami could offer two unprotected first-round picks and Tyler Herro. Still, by all accounts, the Blazers don’t want Herro. This team has enough young guard talent.
So – why should they want Fultz? Well, Fultz is on an expiring contract that should be easier to move. If Portland made this deal now, they could probably flip him before the deadline. By contrast, Herro is a polarizing player on a long-term deal – he may be more difficult to move.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat & Orlando Magic Updates
More importantly, the Blazers are landing three unprotected firsts here. Meanwhile, Isaac is on an expiring deal, too. If he can get his body right, he could be a massive addition to this roster. Still, even if he doesn’t, he offers cap relief. If Orlando offered this deal, the Blazers may finally end the Lillard mystery.
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