NBA Rumors: New load management rule could expedite Damian Lillard trade?

NBA Rumors: Could the NBA’s new load management rule help expedite a Damian Lillard trade? 

In an attempt to crack down on the misuse of load management around the league, the NBA has officially introduced and approved a new rule that will help on that front. The new load management rule states the following:

"No more than one star player is unavailable for the same game."

"Teams must ensure that star players are available for national TV and in-season tournament games."

"Teams must maintain a balance between the number of one-game absences for a star player in home games and road games — with a preference for those absences to happen in home games."

"Teams must refrain from any long-term shutdown — or near shutdown — when a star player stops participating in games or plays in a materially reduced role in circumstances affecting the integrity of the game."

"Teams must ensure that healthy players resting for a game are present and visible to fans."

Essentially, teams will be limited in how much they can “rest” a star player over the course of a season. This is a rule that will impact 25 teams across the league. One of the teams that will have to maneuver through it this season is the Portland Trail Blazers.

Could the new rule push the Portland Trail Blazers to trade Damian Lillard before the start of the season?

With the uncertainty that revolves around Damian Lillard and the likelihood that they may end up carrying him on the roster into the season, there’s one thing that is clear – if he isn’t traded by the time the season starts, Lillard will have to be in attendance and he’ll have to play.

The Blazers won’t be able to just tell Lillard to hang out at home until a trade develops. Portland could do that but would be dealt a laundry list of fines. There’s no way the Blazers bite the bullet on that.

Unless Lillard is going to fake an injury, which I suppose isn’t off the table (hint hint), there’s a chance that the Blazers are more encouraged to get a trade done before the start of the season because of this new rule.

We’ve said this time and time again, but it really is decision time for the Blazers. Despite that, it’s almost impossible to predict what will actually happen. In a vacuum, something has to happen in the next couple of weeks, right?