Appearing on a recent episode of NBA Today, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said that “very little of substance” has happened in terms of movement on a potential Damian Lillard trade since the star guard first made his trade request in early July (YouTube link).
According to Wojnarowski, the league had shut down since summer league in a way he hadn’t seen in the last several years, leading to a lack of any traction on any potential blockbuster trades.
Now that executives are returning from vacations and players are coming in to work out in team facilities, there’s an expectation that conversations between the Trail Blazers and interested teams will ramp up in the coming weeks, per Wojnarowski. The next real deadline or landmark for Portland, Wojnarowksi adds, is the start of training camps in late September.
Wojnarowki says that the Blazers and maybe even Lillard are prepared for the possibility of the veteran remaining with the team in training camp and even into the regular season. The Blazers could look to reevaluate the situation after the first 20-25 games of the season and see how they’re performing, in addition to determining at that point whether the landscape of interested teams has changed, Wojnarowski said.
As ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently reported, there has been no indication that any team besides the Heat has expressed serious interest in making a trade for Lillard. However, as has long been the case, the Blazers aren’t interested in any packages Miami is putting on the table at this moment in time. Miami’s best offer would almost certainly include some combination of Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson, as well as first-round picks and young players like Nikola Jovic or Jaime Jaquez Jr.
After the first 20-25 games of the season, Wojnarowski suggests, teams that weren’t inquiring on Lillard before may become interested, such as an unexpected contender looking to go all in. Additionally, teams with existing interest in Lillard (ie. Miami) could be willing to increase their trade offers. Wojnarowski adds that he expects any Lillard trade to be a multi-team deal, rather than a two-team agreement.
Lillard, 33, is coming off an elite All-Star season in which he averaged 32.2 points and 7.3 assists in 58 games. One of the best Blazers ever, Lillard has played with Portland for 11 seasons, so he may be unwilling to sour relationships in the organization.
Lillard’s status as an all-time great who is still capable of averaging over 30 points per night makes high trade demands from Portland’s end understandable. However, hesitation from opposing teams also makes sense, given the guard’s age and contract (he could be on the books for $63.2MM in his age-36 season, pending a player option in 2026/27).
Oh boy. The only way this works into Portlands favor, is if the every thing goes right. Everyone on the team stays healthy and performs to their peak. It’s possible. They have talent. Little, Simons, Knox, winslow, plus the rookies. Nurkic and Grant step up. But that’s a long shot.
The reality is, no one wants to give anything up for Liliards long and expensive contract. In two years, a team will have to give up Picks just to get out of his contract. If they were smart, they would have let him months ago for what ever they could get.
If Portland wanted to be smart and trade him early they are 2 years too late…
Now they have to wait for a team to get desperate…
No team is going to get desperate enough for that contract
The Nets got desperate enough for Ben freakin’ Simmons.
But they also got rid of James Freaking Harden
Ah yes, having to trade away a far superior player because they screwed up their locker room chemistry and discipline in exchange for a limited player who doesn’t fit their team and is also a headcase doesn’t count as desperate. Harden has gotten worse in Philly, but at the time of the trade he was still considered a fantastic player who could be the #2 on a championship team.
Ugh, the nonsense y’all come up with sometimes.
Ok, go ahead, give me a trade scenario for Liliard.
*Currently* there isn’t one. Lillard’s market is limited by his trade demands and the fact that many teams with the stuff Portland wants aren’t in a position to trade for him.
But, say the Sixers are in bad shape at the deadline and Lillard has relaxed his location preferences. They could put together a package centered around picks and salary relief for the Blazers, who are desperate because they aren’t getting offers, thus lowering their own demands.
Maybe the Nets are in a better position than we expected, and are looking to make a splash for a guy who was already interested in their team, maybe centered around Cam Johnson, Cam Thomas, their recent first round selections, and picks. Wise? Maybe not, but the Nets haven’t shown themselves to be wise either.
Maybe Toronto wants to compete with their current core and Barnes isn’t developing as quickly as they’d like, so they throw him, Gradey, picks, and some of their filler contracts like Porter, Thad Young, Chris Boucher, or others together to add Lillard to a core of Siakam, OG, Poeltl, and Trent.
Maybe NO gets tired of putting up with Zion’s injury issues and tries to get a superstar to pair with Ingram. Oh look, Lillard’s available and they also have picks and young guys to add.
OKC has all the picks in the world. Maybe they get involved as a third team to pick up players who fit their system while Lillard goes elsewhere.
The thing with the NBA is you *do not know* how the season is going to unfold. The Nets self-destruction looks more obvious in hindsight than it was at the time. The Cavs drastically accelerated their timeline when Garland broke out and Mobley became an instant sensation. The Lakers went from having to give a lottery pick to the Pels to the Western Conference Finals with one good trade deadline. Right now, a Lillard trade looks like a long shot. In January? Who knows?
Exactly you can’t. There is literally no deal out there that can be made.
There are several deals that can be made, just that other teams are trying to lowball the Blazers because they have limited leverage to get the kind of package they want. There wasn’t a package for Harden or Simmons at the start of 2021-2022 either, not one that either team was interested in. But it still happened.
Also, that’s just a funny response, objectively.
No there isnt.
Go ahead, put together an actual package the makes sense logically and financially
No trade out there? Miami has offered 5 players and 3 1st round picks for that contract. So there is that trade out there. When Lillard first asked for trade there were several teams that were involved in discussions until he said he only wanted to go to Miami. So I’m sure when he realizes its either Portland or expand his teams he’s willing to go to teams will start calling again. He’s still a star player, CP3 has been traded 3 times on untradable contracts and Westbrook traded multiple times too.
Well yes, that’s been my point,Miami is the only trade, so Portland needs to do it. If they don’t that offer will get worse
When did Miami make that offer and what did it entail?
Like a month ago. Hero, Robinson, 3 or 4 firsts and some 2nd rdrs
There are “reports” of an offer but it’s all still rumors. I understand negotiations are private but there’s no proof of an offer nor the details. I’m just fatigued hearing people talk as though something knowable has happened when there’s no there there.
Knox and Winslow are FAs, and they also got rid of Watford
Selfish baby. Go take load management days so you can watch playoffs on TV.
Cmon Woj works hard.
I hope players take Dame’s situation as a guide to what not to do as a player…
You can’t keep taking the max and have a winner built around you…
Even Lebron had to switch teams to make that work by taking less than the incumbent team can offer and go elsewhere on a max…
Lillard waited too long to do what Lebron did…
Depends on the owner. Do they need the money to support their lifestyle or is the team a separate entity and all profits go back into the team? Warriors Clippers Maybe another ownership group doesn’t need to siphon profits for lifestyle. Those two teams have several Max guys..
Nuggets sure managed it fine with Jokic, Warriors with Curry, and Bucks with Giannis. And not just because they’re better than Lillard; their supporting casts are better too. Portland sucks so bad at roster building and has since 2016. The situation sucks for Blazers fans, but the FO and ownership are just reaping what they sowed by doing a bad job around Lillard for seven+ years.
Yea every team would be good if they drafted the 2 best shooters of all time and a perennial All NBA Defense player
GSW probably isn’t the best example, but Portland also hasn’t done a good job of drafting for the most part, either. Most of their guys drafted during the Lillard era either suck, or they broke out on a different team (Trent, Collins, ect). Simons and McCollum are obviously talented players, but they’re also poor fits next to Lillard.
And the Bucks and Nuggets are almost the same size market as Portland too. Yet they’ve done a better job with trades, drafts, and signings than Portland ever did during mostly the same timeframe.
ZA, we’re not talking about the luck of drafting these guys we’re talking about keeping them on the payroll with Max contracts. Guys change teams all the time. LeBron’s on his third team making Max with Anthony Davis making Max that’s the context here.
Scarlett said you can’t take a Max contract like Lillard is and build a winner. I’m saying that’s rubbish.
Blazers are screwed big time! Thing is the heats best offer is so crappy and useless that it doesn’t save the blazers from being screwed! Herro and two first re picks is just such garbage I feel bad for blazers fans
I wonder if occurs to Cronin that his actions are telling his future talent (namely Tyler Herro) that he thinks little to knowing of him and it’s screaming to all future FA that this GM is someone that doesn’t care about the well being of players… this whole thing comes off as him playing CYA and caring more about his personal feelings than the well being of the Portland Trail Blazers.
They prefer Herro to Simons, but they’re stuck with Simons, so it makes zero sense for them to take Herro, especially considering they wouldnt be trading Lillard if they were able to actually move Simons
But again, as a Heat fan, how does it make any sense for them to make a deal either b/c I’m still failing to see where it makes sense…especially giving up a bunch of assets for a guard, in general, that they also dont need
No they don’t prefer Herro to Simons. Herro has almost $50m more on his contract than Simons. If Portland wanted Herro, they could move Simons as his contract would be much easier to move than that Herro contract. Its the reason no Miami deal can be made unless another team is involved as Portland wants no part of taking back $120m contract for a role player off the bench.
4/$120 million for Herro, and 4/$100 million for Simons isnt a $50 million difference, and the point was that while they’re both overlays, Simons is much more significant, a lot less productive on both ends of the floor, with a similar skillset. There are a couple of teams that would trade for Herro, but nobody wants Simons. If they could have moved Simons, Lillard wouldnt even be looking for a trade
When have the Heat ever publicly shown they are “interested in a trade for Lillard”? What “packages” have the Heat put “on the table at this moment in time”? I must have missed that Pat Riley presser. Seriously, show me where the Heat organization has ever said anything about trading for Lillard.
The new cba and Dames contract are the issue. Timing ⏱ is terrible for trading. Portland may have to hold until next summer. Only five teams that have what the portland really want and most of them won’t be interested come feb.
The heat will lose interest too!
Timing is just bad for trades.
The deep freeze on Lillard trade discussions isn’t primarily about the new CBA. It’s about the market distortion initiated by Lillard’s camp. Market distortions always depress buy-sell transactions. Pretty basic.
He is also a guard, and then obviously the amount of a teams cap he takes up is significant, and then they obviously want multiple assets for him, so all of that is the reason.
As a Heat fan, I would only trade for people like Jaylen Brown or Kawhi Leonard or Paul George, or Draymond Green, Jaren Jackson jr, Scottie Barnes, LeBron, Anthony Davis, Mikal Bridges or if those types of players are available…wings and 4s/smallball 5s that can defend, and preferably shoot. I would also be interested in the lesser tier of similar type of players, most of whom are still super young and likely shouldnt be traded.
A lot of teams are in similar position, if there going to be giving up a bunch of/all their assets, trading for a guard makes little sense, unless that is what you need, and there are few, if any, that have a need there
The guard factor, age and the max being the 35% version all play into it, at least as much as the new CBA, which is, of course, also a factor. In terms of the 35% max guys in their 30’s, his trade value is likely going to wind up between Durant (BKN-PHX) and Westbrook (WSH-LAL), as opposed to Durant being the template. All the more reason it was stupid to try to foreclose the development of a market with stupid threats that he might not honor his contract.
Last year, I had speculated that there were only a couple of teams that could meet certain level of offers for KD, and if Phoenix had or would offer what they had, it would have already been done, but it made no sense from Phoenox’s side, etc. The new owner eventually made the exact trade I was talking about months later
People are claiming certain things are on the table for Lillard, and I say they arent, again, b/c it makes no sense. If they were, the trade would have already happened. I dont see their values anywhere close to the same realm
I could see something similar to what Jordan Poole or Beal went for, but obviously more relative to the price point, so more than that, but not that much more, like 1.5-2 more assets than that, which is about what the supposed Heat offer has been the entire time
As a Heat fan, I have continued to say I dont even think they should trade him, as well as I dont want to trade for him b/c it makes no sense
Portland’s best course of action is hope someone somehow takes Simons, and to use him off the bench until then
Lillard, Scoot, Sharpe, Murray/Jabari Walker, Grant
Nurkic, Thybulle/Rupert/Keon Johnson, Simons, Little/Walker/Murray, Rupert
They could use a floor spacing big
They could trade Simons, Nurkic and Little for a veteran SG, SF and C. Have the youngings on the bench. Veterans Start but they are clueless. They must like Simons more than Lillard
They need another 2/3, and a floor spacing big, and a backup big that can defend pick and roll, and protect the rim, but again, if they could have traded Simons, it would have already happened
They are about to destroy all chemistry. Bill Walton Is upset, Lillard is upset
Blazers didn’t draft Jordan or Durant. Horrible management
Do one thing right and the cloud will go away from Portland
I called this one. Teams need to come to terms that they aren’t going anywhere with their current roster or need to see one of their guys recover. For instance, TOR or CHI, if they get off to an awful start, then lots of big contracts and young talent make for good three team trade partners. Same with LAC… are PG and Kawhi going to be in form and winning? If so, they go for it, if not, more big contracts and/or young talent for trades.
And if Ben Simmons’ back and mental health issues are resolved, then he becomes a great trade piece to get Dame.
And btw, TOR, CHI, BKN, none of those teams are in a hurry to help MIA get ready for the season. Why trade anything until the last moment?
Ben Simmons is not a trade piece for anyone.
I still think Orlando makes a lot of sense for Herro or even Simons
I like it. Orlando needs a SG. They would have to trade Fulks somewhere
For both
Philly or another high cap space team will trade for him with cap space and a couple picks in the offseason.
Lowry, Jovic, Jaime Jaquez, Orlando Robinson, future considerations and 4 1st for Lillard