NBA Trade Rumors: 5 teams have already been linked to Damian Lillard
NBA Trade Rumors: Damian Lillard could demand a trade this offseason and there will likely be a robust market for his services.
The Portland Trail Blazers will have a big decision to make when it comes to the future of the team this offseason. Will they try to find another star to team up with Damian Lillard? Or will they pivot toward a rebuild? Dame has kind of put the Blazers on the clock and the ball is now in their court.
It’ll be interesting to see how the offseason ends up playing out for the Blazers and there’s no question that many teams will be watching closely.
Make no mistake, at least from an outside-looking-in perspective, it does feel as if we’re the closest we’ve ever been to seeing a Lillard trade. And there are many around the league that believe it will eventually happen this offseason.
When discussing the future of Lillard when it comes to his potential move this offseason, Frank Isola linked five teams that could be possible destinations in the event that he does demand a trade this offseason. Those teams that Isola listed are the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, and Brooklyn Nets.
On one hand, it would not be surprising if Lillard did pursue a trade to the Eastern Conference. I’d have to imagine that if the Blazers do end up shopping Lillard, they’d probably want to move him out East. At the same time, there are some interesting teams on this list. The Heat and Sixers aren’t really surprising, though they could lack the necessary pieces to get a deal done.
From the Hawks’ perspective, you’d have to imagine that is more about a possible Trae Young swap, which I suppose would make sense theoretically but also seems kind of odd. The Raptors have plenty of assets and are likely going to be retooling during the offseason. That wouldn’t be that surprising considering their general manager is known for making big moves.
The Nets are interesting considering Mikal Bridges looks like a budding star. Perhaps he’s someone that Lillard would want to team up with.
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The offseason isn’t even here yet and the noise surrounding a possible Lillard trade is already growing loud. This could certainly end up being quite the memorable offseason in the NBA.