3. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
For the time being, Damian Lillard remains the third-best point guard in the NBA. The sad part of this all is that there’s at least a good chance at the moment that he will miss half the season. After demanding a trade at the beginning of the offseason, there has been no traction on a potential deal. With less than a month remaining before the start of NBA Training Camp, all signs point to him still being on the Blazers’ roster when the season begins. That could lead Portland to tell Lillard to simply stay home until they are able to work out a deal that they see fit.
If that does end up happening, Lillard may not be traded until the deadline and that means he could end up sitting half the season. considering how good Lillard was for the team last season, that would be a huge disappointment. With only a year or two left of prime basketball left, the last thing that we want to see as basketball fans is Lillard wasting away at home.
He’s one of the most dynamic offensive players when he’s healthy and playing at the top of his game. Here’s hoping he finally gets a chance to prove just how good he his by competing for a championship.