Damian Lillard‘s season came to an early end after he was diagnosed with a right knee sprain, which sidelined him for the end of the Trail Blazers‘ first-round series against the Lakers and forced him to leave the NBA’s campus for further evaluation.
Having undergone that re-evaluation, Lillard had the initial diagnosis of a “mild” sprain confirmed, according to Shams Charania of Stadium (video link), who reports that the Trail Blazers have no long-term concerns about their star point guard’s knee. He’ll be good to go for the start of next season.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Within a deep dive into the Timberwolves‘ draft decisions and offseason plans, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic says sources around the NBA expect president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas to “work the phones” to gauge the value of the No. 1 pick on the trade market. As Vecenie explains, that doesn’t mean the Wolves will move the pick, but the expectation is that Rosas doesn’t have a set timeline in mind for the club’s rebuild and will look to get as much value as possible out of the selection, whether that means trading it or selecting a player.
- A handful of Nuggets players will get richer with a Game 7 win over Utah on Tuesday night, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. As Marks details, Nikola Jokic ($466K), Gary Harris ($350K), and Paul Millsap ($200K) will each receive bonuses if Denver advances to round two of the playoffs.
- In case you missed it on Monday, we solicited your opinions and predictions on tonight’s Game 7 showdown between the Jazz and Nuggets. Our poll remains open, so be sure to make your picks for Game 7 before it tips off.
Move value to the Wolves Beasley or #1. More trade value #1 and James Johnson or Beasley in S&T?
It’s smart to gauge interest in the pick. Trading down and getting either Toppin or Okongwu. Is still a great draft. Both fit well with KAT. I would think those are the two they target. Charlotte and Cleveland probably makes the most sense. Edwards is a talent who is NBA ready. Cause of his size. And Minny could use the 17th pick to get a PF. I would try and get Love with that pick. Love and KAT is also great mix. Plus to have a seasoned vet with Edwards and young team. Is a huge plus. I’m sure they will get offers. My gut tells me they stay with Edwards.
Why not shop it around? If good offers don’t come together, you say no and use it. There’s always a chance some ridiculously good deal comes together.