Appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter (YouTube link) on Monday night to provide an update on the Damian Lillard trade talks, Adrian Wojnarowski said it’s still “very early” in the process, pointing out that there’s no deadline looming to force the Trail Blazers into action — or to push potential Lillard suitors to submit their best offers.
While the Clippers would “love to be part of this process,” they don’t necessarily have the sort of assets the Blazers are seeking for Lillard, according to Wojnarowski. Portland also isn’t particularly moved by what what the Heat has to offer, but that Miami package may be the best the Blazers can get, Woj suggests.
“Now it’s going to be a process over perhaps this month, August, maybe into September, for Portland to try to extract as much as they can from Miami,” Wojnarowski said. “It isn’t like Miami comes to the table and says, ‘Here’s everything we have for Damian Lillard. Here you go.’ It doesn’t start that way. They’re gauging what Portland has (had) offered to them elsewhere.”
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Troy Brown‘s two-year, $8MM deal with the Timberwolves is only guaranteed for one year, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Brown’s $4MM salary for 2024/25 is non-guaranteed. The Wolves used the same structure when they signed Shake Milton, whose $5MM salary for ’23/24 is guaranteed while his $5MM salary for ’24/25 isn’t, Hoops Rumors has learned. Nickeil Alexander-Walker‘s two-year, $9MM contract, on the other hand, is fully guaranteed.
- After being the subject of trade speculation for years in Atlanta, John Collins is looking forward to getting a fresh start with the Jazz, he said during an interview on the team’s official website. “I was excited going to a place that I knew really wanted me and was trying to have me in the organization,” Collins said. “It’s always very nice to hear and know coming to a place that really wants you and really wants you to excel here. It’s a big sigh of relief knowing that all the trade talks are over and I can go to my new home and start anew.”
- The Thunder‘s decision to use their cap room to accommodate salary dumps like Davis Bertans, Victor Oladipo, and Patty Mills this offseason reflected the team’s focus on its young core, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes. As Mussatto explains, with potentially pricey extensions coming down the road for players like Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City didn’t want to compromise future cap flexibility by signing a free agent to a long-term deal.
From the offers I have read that Portland has taken on Lliard they have been low balled by these clubs. Just waut it out until a team is desperate and trades many first round picks to them
Especially heats laughable offer. Heat have nothing Portland wants or needs. Lillard needs to decide if he wants to get paid next season or sit.
@ARC 2
What do you expect teams to do? They have no incentive to go trade for a guy that clearly wants to be in one specific destination. Why should they even make a real offer?
The most that the Trailblazers may get in cooperation is from a team that feels that Herro and/or maybe another piece or two (Martin or Robinson or other) from the Heat are what they need to add to talent they already have. They’d have to feel that Herro or others are worth their 1st round pick (and in this situation, worth two 1st rounders). There aren’t that many teams out there that fit that criteria. And really none of the lottery teams have incentive to give up 1st rounders for Herro or other pieces. It’s basically playoff caliber teams. And for any team that would want Lowry, they’re not giving up a 1st rounder for him, unless that team is run by a moron.
The best way for both parts Lillard and blazers is get a trade at soon possible is not healthy be a long process that can create frustration for the team or the player. Is just business quick trade and everyone begin a new reality.
If the Heat includes Adebayo, then Portland will say yes.
That ain’t happening.
Do the Thunder intend to keep all their salary dump acquisitions?
They might trade expiring ones (Mills and Oladipo, and Bertans is psuedo-expiring, so I guess he’s tradeable too) if they can get a second round pick or something, but I don’t think they’ll take back any long-term salary in exchange. Too many youngsters need extensions. And there’s not really many expiring players who would be worth it for the Thunder at the moment. Maybe at the TD we’ll see some movement.
I’d be a bit surprised if they kept any, but we’ll see.
You expect them all to be gone by opening day?
In the past, if OKC couldn’t find a taker they would typically hang onto players with a big contract until the trade deadline. But I guess there are not that many other players on their roster they want to waive?
Those contracts are big enough to be of value for salary-matching:
– Bertans at 17 million
– Oladipo at 9,45 million
– Mills at 6,8 million
Would they waive these players themselves? Or rather look to salary-dump the ones they cannot get rid of?
If they trade them: would they take on a multi-year contract? I guess maximum 2 years if you look at the contracts of Giddey, Williams and Holmgren?
I think they’ll have to be waived unless they’re flipped for worse contracts or more guaranteed money (like the Mills for Gay/TyTy/Garuba deal that will become official soon). In which case, I’d expect most or all of the new players to be waived.
There just aren’t enough roster spots to go around. Keeping one or more of the salary-dump guys would mean trading/waiving two or more of these 16 players:
Ousmane Dieng
Luguentz Dort
Josh Giddey
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Chet Holmgren
Isaiah Joe
Tre Mann
Vasilije Micic
Aleksej Pokusevski
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
Cason Wallace
Jack White
Aaron Wiggins
Jalen Williams
Jaylin Williams
Kenrich Williams
I expect several more moves before opening day. They have a couple guys who are extraneous to them that would be roster pieces and even rotation guys elsewhere. I see them dealing these pieces for less valuable ones (that are eventually cut) and a few more 2nds. They are definitely leveraging their cap space well without causing any long term issues.
No reason to rush into anything, still 3 months atleast until a reg. season game is played.
Portland would be dumb to take any of the recent rumored Miami offers unless its Miami’s very best, and Miami is the only decent draft package being offered from a destination Lillard is on-board with playing for.
So far what has been rumored is awful value return on Dame.
If I were Portland I’d say look Dame you can shine and lose with us, or shine and lose with these other guys offering us market value…
Because Miami, Sixers, Clippers, and other shoppers are cooked for tradable Draft assets.
I think Toronto enters the conversation regardless of Lillards destinations of desire. Toronto has assets, and need a PG.
Siakam can play with Grant, and Toronto won’t lose a franchise crippling amount of draft assets. The only hitch is who is worth more Dame, or Siakam?
And is draft compensation, and or other players involved?
Could be a combo of other players, and draft compensation. Toronto appears to have options not exercised yet.
It’s a Knicks, Pacers and Portland deal or bust if they don’t for Dame.
They like the Nets and Sixers will extract nothing from no one because they don’t intend to let any one go.
Once again waiting to see what happens with Lillard just like Ben and Kevin is a poor excuse to do nothing as always.
If Portland insists on Bam, idk that a deal happens. But if the Heat were to include him, they would need to get back a starting frontcourt player or high upside one, and not Nurkic.
Maybe someone like Wiseman, Claxton, Gafford, Pat William’s. I don’t know how that trade would honestly breakdown but I can’t see them giving up Bam + Assets and/or Herro and not getting Dame + a Forward/Center.
Bam isn’t going to Portland. It would defeat the purpose of the Heat trading for Dame in the first place. The Heat want to get to the next step of a championship run. The intent is to have a core of Dame, Butler and Bam.
I think it sucks when a player decides he wants to be traded! He sure didn’t say that when he signed that big contract!
“Hey team, thanks for the big contract, but know that if I don’t like how things are shaping up here, I’ll probably ask to be traded in a few years!”
And then he has the nerve to tell them that he only wants to be traded to Miami! Well that’s going to work out really well for us! Screw you Damian! Either play or sit. But if you want to be payed , we’re not doing a Ben Simmons west coast version.