The NBA is a star’s league. With that said, teams can acquire stars through a number of different avenues. They can draft them, sign them, or trade for them.
Many would say that the draft is the safest talent pool to exploit. To be sure, teams have more control over the draft than any other avenue. If they’re underperforming, they can simply tank to increase their lottery odds. With that said, teams can’t tank forever. If the players they’re selecting pan out, the team will start winning games. Often, that’s the time to start acquiring more talent via the trade market.
Could the San Antonio Spurs be looking to make a major trade soon? This team has a likely franchise player in Victor Wembanyama. They’ve got a lot of solid young talent. The Spurs could justify tanking for one more season. On the other hand, if they wanted to take a big step forward, they could trade for a star. How about Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers?
The Trade Proposal
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: G/F Keldon Johnson, G Devonte’ Graham, G/F Reggie Bullock, 2026 First-Round Pick (SAS), 2028 First-Round Pick (SAS), 2029 First-Round Pick (Swap – SAS)
San Antonio Spurs Receive: G Damian Lillard
IF you need proof of how little control teams have over the trade market, take a look at Lillard and the Blazers. Lillard has requested a trade. The Blazers don’t seem to have any control over what they’ll get in return for Lillard. After all, he only seems to be interested in joining one team.
You know exactly what we’re talking about. Lillard wants to join the Miami Heat. Recently, it’s been reported that Lillard would request a trade if he landed on any other team. This is a problem for the Blazers. They don’t have a market for their superstar – he’s squashing it himself. Teams will be afraid to make a move for him if he’s not going to stay in town.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & San Antonio Spurs Updates
Could a team take a chance on him anyway? Will Lillard really decline to play for any other team? He’s on a longterm contract. Lillard surely isn’t ready to retire. At some point, he may have to compromise and play for a team besides Miami. Could the Spurs be that team?
Why The San Antonio Spurs Do The Deal
Well, the Spurs would have some investigative work to do here. Obviously, if Lillard is going to entirely refuse to show up for training camp, they can’t trade for him. Moving Johnson and draft capital for literally nothing would be a disaster.
Let’s assume Lillard is willing to compromise. This is still a bold decision for the Spurs. This team is in the infancy stages of a rebuild. Can they really afford to make a win-now move? If Wembanyama doesn’t meet expectations, they’ll be without draft capital or a future franchise player. After all, Lillard is aging.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & San Antonio Spurs Updates
Sure. With that said, he’s likely got a few more years of prime production left. The gamble here is that they’ll intersect with Wembanyama’s rise to superstardom. If that happened, the results could be an NBA championship. Should the Blazers put the Spurs in that position?
Why The Portland Trail Blazers Do The Deal
By contrast, this is a no-brainer for the Blazers. Simply put, it’s better than the package that they’d get from the Heat. That should be good enough for Portland. At this point, they simply need to get marker value for Lillard.
Meanwhile, they should be especially interested in Johnson. This team has a plethora of talented young guards – by all accounts, that’s why they’re not interested in Tyler Herro. With that said, they could use an exciting young wing like Johnson. He’s got a solid 3-and-D skillset, and he can create his own shot when need be as well.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers & San Antonio Spurs Updates
The Blazers should be happy to land a pair of first-round picks and a swap as well. Most significantly, they should be glad to finally move on from Lillard. This team is stacked with young talent – it’s time to focus on the future. In time, Scoot Henderson could be a bright enough star to carry them to new heights.
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