If Damian Lillard is open to a trade this offseason, there are several ideal landing spots where he could finally win his elusive first NBA title.
The Portland Trail Blazers are on the cusp of failing to qualify for the NBA Playoffs in back-to-back seasons. For a team that has Damian Lillard, that’s not ideal. Even more so considering he will be 33 years old by the time next season begins.
And here’s the truth: the Blazers are not close to competing for a championship and because of that, there’s a big decision that needs to be decided regarding Lillard’s future.
The Portland Trail Blazers may already be in rebuild mode
Objectively, with all the information that we have regarding the Portland Trail Blazers, sell me on the fact that they’re not already in rebuilding mode – something that Lillard has already said he wants no part of.
The Blazers’ second-leading scorer this season is 23 years old, they took a developmental project last summer with their top 10 draft pick (with more NBA-ready prospects still on the board), Jerami Grant is an expiring contract after this season, and the big move that the team made at the trade deadline was to trade Josh Hart for a future first-round picks and Cam Reddish (another developmental project).
Additionally, the only other veteran (aside from Lillard) that is on a long-term deal is Jusuf Nurkic.
If the Blazers aren’t silently rebuilding behind the scenes while trying to say all the right things publically, I’m not sure what’s happening here. Should the team look to trade Lillard this offseason? Probably. Whether they will or not is an entirely different question.
If they do though, there are three perfect situations for Lillard to slide into which would give him a great chance to win his first NBA Championship. Let’s explore them.