Trail Blazers Rumors

Windhorst Says Heat Aren’t “Desperate” For Damian Lillard

September 22nd, 2023 at 5:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on Friday that trade talks for Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard have “intensified” but no deal is imminent. Wojnarowski also said the Heat — Lillard’s preferred landing spot — haven’t been involved in recent trade talks with Portland, though he did caution that could change at a moment’s notice.

In addition to confirming Wojnarowski’s report, his ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst says Miami hasn’t been acting like a team that’s prepared to go all-in to land Lillard.

“I don’t think the Heat are desperate at all to trade for Damian Lillard,” Windhorst said on NBA Today (YouTube link). “I think they want to trade for him, but I don’t think that it’s something that if they don’t get it done that it wrecks their season.

“They were in the Finals last year. They have young players that are getting better. They have assets that they can trade for other deals. And as we talked about earlier on the show, Dame Lillard isn’t potentially the only star player that could be on the market. Maybe not today, but certainly in the next six-to-12-to-18 months.

“I don’t think the Heat have ever approached it like it’s the be-all, end-all,” Windhorst added. “… Like Woj reported, and I have heard the same thing … I don’t think that the Heat and the Trail Blazers have been engaged in talks at all, on almost any level, for quite some time.

“That could change very quickly. Dame Lillard could be a member of the Heat in the short-term future. But I think that there has been a misjudgment in sort of the way it’s all viewed, that this is something that the Heat have absolutely got to get done, and I just don’t think they view it that way.”

For what it’s worth, when Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link) sent Windhorst’s explanation of the Heat’s thinking to an “involved source,” Jackson was told that it was “100 percent right.”

Woj: Lillard Talks Have Intensified But No Deal Imminent

September 22nd, 2023 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

After multiple reporters suggested on Thursday that the Trail Blazers appear to be increasing their efforts to try to trade Damian Lillard before training camp, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN agreed with that assessment on Friday, saying on NBA Today that Portland is “certainly behaving like a team that wants to get a deal done” before camps get underway (Twitter video link).

Still, according to Wojnarowski, the Blazers have yet to gain serious traction toward an agreement. They continue to have conversations with different clubs and explore various multi-team trade scenarios.

“Those talks have intensified, but still, there’s no trade imminent,” Wojnarowski said.“… You have Portland trying to not only talk to teams who have an interest in Lillard, but lots of teams who’d like to get in on a bigger deal. Can they pick up a couple draft picks to take on some money? Is there a need that they have that they can get in a three- or four-team trade? So Portland is exhausting all of those conversations this week.”

Interestingly, while Miami has been Lillard’s preferred destination and presumed landing spot since he initially requested a trade at the start of July, the Heat haven’t been involved in the Blazers’ conversations this week, according to Wojnarowski. However, he cautions that Miami’s apparent lack of involvement at this point doesn’t necessarily mean that Lillard will be traded elsewhere.

“So far, the one element that has not been a part of these talks are the Miami Heat,” Woj said. “But we know in trade talks and conversations, that could change in one moment with one call.”

The Trail Blazers, as they’ve been trying to do all summer, may simply be attempting to get a serious offer for Lillard from another team to put pressure on the Heat to make a more aggressive offer themselves. Or perhaps the Blazers already have a pretty good sense of what Miami’s best offer for Lillard would look like and are gauging what they could get from a third or fourth team for some of those Heat assets.

Trade Rumors: Future Trade Candidates, Hield, Ayton, Brogdon

September 22nd, 2023 at 8:06am CST by Luke Adams

As teams besides the Heat consider how aggressively to pursue Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, one factor they’re weighing is whether it makes more sense to preserve their assets in the hopes of landing an even more valuable star in the near future, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said this week during an appearance on NBA Today (YouTube link).

“There could be some massive talents available for trades next season. Maybe at the trade deadline, maybe next year,” Wojnarowski said. “So you have teams weighing the assets they might use to trade for Damian Lillard vs. who could be available to them that they don’t want to be out of the game for. Some younger, first team All-NBA type players who may be in that marketplace.”

While Wojnarowski didn’t name any specific players, his ESPN colleague Zach Lowe followed up on Woj’s point by directly mentioning Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and obliquely referencing Sixers center Joel Embiid as well.

“Look, not to put it too baldly, but Giannis’ recent comments have changed the landscape of the league, at least a little bit, and have had teams at least have the meeting of, ‘Wait a second, do we need to keep our powder dry if we think we have a one percent, two percent, five percent (chance to acquire him)?'” Lowe said.

“And by the way, the Bucks may not have to trade Giannis at all. They may win the title this year, everything’s fine, he signs an extension. But those comments, along with everything going on in Philly, have at least forced you to have the meeting of, ‘Do we need to keep our powder dry?'”

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors:

The Mavericks, Sixers, Bucks are among the teams to watch as the Pacers seek a trade partner for sharpshooter Buddy Hield, Shams Charania of The Athletic said in an appearance on The Rally (Twitter video link). “Those are the types of teams that could definitely use a shooter like Buddy Hield,” Charania said. “And I think they’ve had a level of interest in him over the last several months.”
With Deandre Ayton‘s name once again popping up in trade rumors, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports cites a source who says the Mavericks made an “underwhelming” offer for the Suns center over the summer. Bourguet adds that Phoenix fielded inquiries on Ayton on draft night in June, but the offers at that time weren’t compelling, with one source even describing them as “trash.”
While Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe acknowledges that the Malcolm Brogdon situation in Boston “feels slightly off,” he hasn’t gotten any recent indications that the Celtics are considering trading Brogdon any more than they’re considering moving any other player.

Blazers Looking To Complete Lillard Trade Before Training Camp

September 21st, 2023 at 8:53pm CST by Tristan Tucker

It has been over two months since Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard requested a trade from Portland to Miami. Now, Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan in Portland reports that there are ongoing discussions for a deal involving Lillard to be completed before training camp on October 2 (Twitter link).

Earlier on Thursday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst appeared on the Behind the Play podcast (YouTube link) and said the Blazers are trying to get a deal done, adding that in the last week or so, there’s been more movement from Portland.

“I don’t know what their offers are but I think they are making an attempt to resolve this before training camp,” Windhorst said. “They may get there or they may not. … I don’t see [Lillard] as someone who doesn’t report or doesn’t play. I would be very surprised if you didn’t see [Lillard] there and playing at his all.”

Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson corroborated Marang’s original tweet, writing that a “non-Heat person” spoke with Portland’s front office tonight and backed up Marang’s reporting (Twitter link). Jackson adds that this is the first time he’s gotten the sense that the Blazers would like to make a deal before camp “if they get what they’re looking for.”

This echoes earlier reporting on Thursday involving the potential inclusion of the Suns and/or Deandre Ayton in a deal. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM said he expected the Lillard trade to happen “very soon,” even as soon as the next 24 hours. Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports wrote that trade talks among interested teams are heating up. Bourguet added that conversations between the Heat, Trail Blazers and Suns, the latter of which has been described as a potential facilitator in such a trade, have increased over the last day or so.

While the Blazers could be looking to get a trade done, it isn’t clear which team they’re having the most talks with. Bourguet writes that Chicago, Toronto and Philadelphia could all be potential partners in a trade and that each is active on the market right now.

Lillard demanded a trade specifically to Miami, but for months it’s been reported that the Trail Blazers haven’t been interested in engaging with the Heat. While that certainly could have changed, it’s also possible that another team is nearing the finish line to acquire the seven-time All-Star.

According to Bourguet, the Heat are “desperate” to get a deal done for Lillard now. Miami has been contacting teams around the league to help facilitate a multi-team trade, reports Bourguet.

It’s important to note that even with all the reports suggesting the Trail Blazers are trying to get the trade done before camp, it’s still possible it doesn’t happen at that time, as Windhorst noted in his podcast appearance. If the Blazers still don’t like the offers available to them, they could hold Lillard into the season, as Jackson and Windhorst reported.

Suns To Explore Deandre Ayton, Jusuf Nurkic Swap?

September 21st, 2023 at 7:54pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Deandre Ayton‘s name hasn’t come up in rumored trade discussions nearly as much this summer as it did a year ago. In June, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reported that Ayton was “very unlikely” to be traded.

However, in a Twitter thread posted on Thursday (Twitter link), Gambadoro writes that while Phoenix hasn’t been actively seeking trades for Ayton, if Jusuf Nurkic were to be on the table as an available trade option, he’d be surprised if the Suns didn’t look into making such a swap.

Gambadoro goes on to tweet that such a move would be contingent on Damian Lillard being traded out of Portland, which Gambadoro expects will happen “very soon.” The Trail Blazers have shown no interest in trading for Ayton, Gambadoro writes, but that could change if or when Lillard is on the move.

On paper, such a trade would be surprising. While Ayton’s youth and upside could be appealing to the Trail Blazers, which Gambadoro notes, Nurkic is arguably a downgrade from Ayton. It would be peculiar for Phoenix, who is looking to contend in 2023/24, to soften its rotation, especially so close to the start of the season.

It’s also unclear how such a move would take place. A straight one-for-one deal for the two players is impossible, considering Ayton’s $32.5MM salary in ’23/24 and Nurkic’s $16.9MM salary. Because Portland is currently below the luxury tax but above the cap, they could not take in Ayton’s salary as is. The Suns and the Trail Blazers would need to salary match in a hypothetical trade. While a framework involving Nurkic, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson, for example, works, it would push the Blazers over the luxury tax, complicating matters.

It’s also important to note that the Suns and Trail Blazers cannot trade any of the free agents they signed this offseason until at least three months after they signed or December 15, whichever is later. Players like Keita Bates-Diop and Eric Gordon, for instance, are not eligible to be traded until December 15. Another list of players, such as Matisse Thybulle and Jerami Grant, are ineligible to be traded until January 15.

In a separate piece, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports wrote that the Suns are a “dark horse team” to help facilitate a potential Lillard trade. According to Bourguet, talks around the league for Lillard are heating up, which matches Gambadoro’s reporting, with teams like Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago and Toronto among the most active potential suitors.

Bourguet also addresses the difficulty in matching salaries between the two teams, but perhaps a multi-team trade involving Lillard is how Nurkic ends up in Phoenix and Ayton ends up in Portland.

For what it’s worth, Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin tweets that while he can’t speak to whether any deal is imminent, Portland has wanted to upgrade the center spot and had interest in Ayton in the past.

Ayton holds career averages of 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds, though his play in the postseason this year fell short of that mark, as he averaged 13.4 PPG and 9.7 RPG. Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, is still just 25 years old.

Nurkic, on the other hand, is 29 and averaged 13.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game last season. While their production isn’t necessarily far apart, Nurkic’s leg injury in 2019 seems to still be affecting his athleticism. Gambadoro reasons that even after the injury, Nurkic is a better defender than Ayton and could make more sense in head coach Frank Vogel‘s system.

Regardless of whether Nurkic winds up being moved for Ayton, his situation in Portland is certainly one to monitor. It’s possible Nurkic is included in a potential Lillard package, but if he’s not, it would be surprising if the Trail Blazers kept him around much longer than this season given their apparent commitment to a youth movement.

Northwest Notes: Lillard, Henderson, Markkanen, Gobert, Towns

September 21st, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Appearing on the “It Is What It Is” podcast, Damian Lillard said he wasn’t upset when the Trail Blazers used their lottery pick to draft Scoot Henderson. The electrifying point guard is projected to be Lillard’s eventual replacement as the star of Portland’s backcourt, but Lillard won’t mind sharing the court with the rookie until he gets the trade he wants.

“Me and Scoot, we’ve had a few conversations with him coming into the league,” Lillard said. “That wasn’t a deal breaker for me at all. I respect his game. I think in that position he was the best player available, so that’s what you’ve gotta do if you’ve got the pick. But no, I wasn’t offended at all, because at the end of the day, you’ve gotta come in and play. I’ve been doing this for a long time, so to me that wasn’t a knock on me or anything.”

With trade talks between the Blazers and Heat reportedly at a standstill and other teams reluctant to make their best offers because of Lillard’s preference to play in Miami, it appears there’s a good chance that Lillard and Henderson will begin the season as teammates.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Lauri Markkanen is one of the best values in the NBA, but the Jazz need to consider his future beyond his current contract, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Markkanen has two seasons left at $17.3MM and $18MM, with only a $6MM guarantee for the final year. Larsen notes that Utah can either let him play out the deal and take advantage of about $41MM in cap space next summer or renegotiate the final year and sign him to an extension. The new CBA places a 140% limit on extensions, so Markkanen would have to get to about $35MM in 2024/25 to be eligible for a max deal of $49MM the following season.
The Timberwolves are hoping for improvement in the second year of the Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns pairing, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic states in an overview of Minnesota’s roster. He adds that Gobert was dealing with knee soreness following EuroBasket last fall while Towns missed most of training camp because of an infection, so there’s hope that better health will lead to better results.
The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice has fined Timberwolves assistant trainer Jesse Geffon $500 for treating players without a license for part of last season, per Paul Walsh of The Star-Tribune. Geffon joined the team in September, but didn’t apply for his license until February.

Bulls Reportedly Trying To Deal For Damian Lillard

September 20th, 2023 at 8:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls are trying to get involved in the bidding for Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports said on a podcast on Wednesday.

Neubeck hears that Chicago has been exploring the possibility of moving Zach LaVine in a multi-team deal to see if can get a combination of players and picks in return that would interest Portland. He notes that there were trade rumors circulating around LaVine earlier this summer, but the Bulls have publicly denied that he’s being made available.

Neubeck also admits that Lillard might not be happy on a team like Chicago, where his best teammates would be Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan. He adds that the Bulls may be the Eastern Conference mystery team in the Lillard race that ESPN’s Marc Spears alluded to earlier this week.

Derek Bodner confirms on the podcast that he has heard the Bulls mentioned in conversations with other reporters, but he calls it a “borderline crazy gamble.” Bodner believes there are teams that should call Lillard’s bluff about not wanting to play anywhere but Miami, such as the Sixers, who could become legitimate title contenders by pairing Lillard with Joel Embiid. However, he’s not convinced that Chicago would have that type of leverage if acquires Lillard.

Rich Hofman says the Bulls are in a desperate position, so a big swing on a Lillard-type deal might be understandable. He adds that team president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley may have to start worrying soon about their job security, but he doubts Chicago could make a run at a title even with Lillard on the team.

The three writers also considered the possibility of the Sixers making an offer for LaVine, but they agreed that it’s unlikely because of his contract. He’s entering the second season of a five-year, $215MM extension, and his salary will rise from $40MM to $48.9MM over the next four years.

Chauncey Billups Discusses Challenges Created By Damian Lillard’s Trade Demand

September 20th, 2023 at 6:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups talked extensively about Damian Lillard‘s trade request and how it has affected the team in an interview with Steve Aschburner of NBA.com.

No significant progress has been made on a Lillard deal since he asked Portland’s front office to move him in early July. He hasn’t relented on his desire to leave, which means Billups can’t be certain what his roster will ultimately look like with training camp less than two weeks away.

“Obviously it’s unsettling, it’s difficult,” Billups said. “But for me, all I can do, I’m responsible for giving my best to who we have. I don’t know how it’s going to play out. There’s nothing I can do to control it. But I do know who we have on our team right now and who I’ve been working with this summer. Who I’m excited about. All I can really do is pour myself into our guys. And see what happens whenever that happens. I’m excited about Shaedon (Sharpe’s) progress. And coaching Scoot (Henderson) and Ant (Anfernee Simons).

“Figuring out what happens with Dame? Everybody knows how I feel about Dame and my opportunity to coach him. We’ll just see. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’ll be ready to do the best I can.”

Unlike other stars who have asked to be traded, the demand hasn’t affected Lillard’s popularity, as the Portland fan base recognizes the loyalty he has shown to the franchise over the past 11 years. Billups doesn’t believe Lillard wants to do anything to hurt the organization, adding that Blazers fans will continue to cheer for him wherever he goes.

“Dame is one of the most stable human beings I’ve ever been around,” Billups added. “He’s not about any type of drama. So this whole process probably weighs very heavy on him. It’s just not who he is. But he’s at a crossroads in his career, and he’s doing what he feels is best for him and his family. I’m always going to be supportive of that.”

Billups touches on several other subjects during the interview, including:

Expectations for Henderson, who is among the favorites to win Rookie of the Year:

“Scoot is going to be a star in this league. He plays both sides of the floor with ferocity. He is very, very driven. He’s a play-maker, he’s a real point guard. Got some leadership about him. He looks like he’s the starting safety of the Denver Broncos. He’s going to be an exciting player for the whole world to watch but our fan base, they can rest assured they’ll be entertained.”

Reasons for optimism about Sharpe after a promising rookie season:

“The steps he made last year. If you watched him at the end, he was lights out. I think he’s worked very hard since then to get better. It was a small sample size, but he was playing against a lot of those teams’ No. 1 defensive player. He was getting some tough coverages and he still was getting things done. I was very impressed with him.”

Jerami Grant‘s role after getting a new five-year, $160MM contract:

“I think Jerami fits in perfectly to what we’re doing. He’s a guy who loves to play the game. Unselfish, both offensively and defensively. Plays fast. Wants to play the right way. He’s going to be perfect for our young guys. He’s excited as well to be back.”

Damian Lillard Notes: Heat, Pelicans, Raptors

September 20th, 2023 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have remained reluctant to engage in serious talks with the Heat about Damian Lillard, a source tells Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said on Tuesday that the two sides haven’t really had trade conversations since July, since Portland’s best hope of getting Miami to increase its offer is to find another team willing to make a serious play for the point guard.

“(The Heat) want Damian Lillard,” Wojnarowski said, per Jackson and Chiang. “They just want him for as little as they’re going to have to give up. They’re essentially daring Portland to go out into the marketplace, which Portland is doing, and see if they can find better. … The goal isn’t to just get Damian Lillard. It’s to get Damian Lillard for as little as you have to give up to be able to still have the ability to put a team around Jimmy Butler, Lillard, Bam Adebayo in Miami.”

While the Heat are reluctant to bid against themselves, other interested teams are wary of giving up significant assets for a player whose preference is to end up in Miami.

“I think there are teams that will trade for him,” Wojnarowski said. “But it’s a little bit of a negotiating crutch where you tell Portland, ‘Hey, I’m not offering you everything we might because we’re taking risk here.’ He has said he only wants to play in Miami. That kind of dulls the offers a little bit.”

Here’s more on Lillard:

Discussing the Lillard situation in the latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Zach Lowe said that some executives around the league have speculated that the Pelicans, who have a handful of extra draft assets, could be a suitor for the Blazers star. However, his colleague Andrew Lopez is skeptical. “It wouldn’t surprise me if they were involved, but as a third or fourth team,” Lopez said of New Orleans. “That would be, I think, the extent that they would try to get involved in a Damian Lillard trade.”
Later in the same podcast, Lowe said that non-Heat teams with interest in Lillard are concerned that they could be used as a “way station” between Portland and Miami if they acquire Dame and things don’t get off to a good start. In other words, that club could soon find itself in the same situation as the Blazers are now, with Lillard wanting out and once again pushing for a trade to the Heat.
On Tuesday’s episode of the Locked On NBA podcast, Matt Moore of Action Network said that a handful of Eastern Conference teams, including the Raptors, have “kicked the tires” on the possibility of acquiring Lillard (Twitter video link). As Moore explains, that doesn’t necessarily mean those clubs have been negotiating with the Blazers — it has been more about touching base with Lillard’s camp to gauge just how opposed he is to landing somewhere besides Miami.

Damian Lillard Roundup: Heat, Thunder, Herro, More

September 19th, 2023 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers and Heat remain at a standoff in the Damian Lillard trade talks, with the two sides unable to bridge the gap between what Portland expects to receive for its star guard and what Miami is willing to give up, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on the latest Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link).

“What the Blazers want – if they’re dealing with one team, if it is Miami or nothing – they want what the Nets got from the Suns (for Kevin Durant),” Windhorst said.

The Nets acquired four unprotected first-round picks along with Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, a first-round pick swap, and two second-rounders in the four-team deal that sent Durant and T.J. Warren to Phoenix at the February deadline. When ESPN’s Tim Bontemps interrupted to say that the Blazers simply aren’t going to get a Durant-esque package for Lillard, Windhorst continued:

“I understand that. And a year ago right now, the Nets weren’t getting it from the Suns, whatever initial talks that they had. But the concept is that (the Blazers) want the Heat to literally scrounge into every nook and cranny and produce everything they possibly can. And the Heat don’t feel the need to do that, and they haven’t since June.”

As Windhorst observes, the Suns only became more willing to make the sort of massive offer the Nets wanted for Durant following the franchise’s change in ownership. Obviously, the Blazers can’t count on their talks with Miami getting that sort of push.

Here’s more on Lillard:

Appearing on Back on Figg (YouTube link), Lillard spoke about his desire to win a championship and hinted that Portland’s lack of urgency to contend for a title is the reason why he wants to be traded. “(It’s) like me and you saying, ‘No matter what happens, we ain’t telling on each other,'” Lillard said (hat tip to RealGM). “… And then a day comes where I’m still playing by those same rules. Like, ‘Me and you want the same thing, we’re gonna go out together.’ And then that ain’t the code you want to live by no more. So, when that happens, me and you can’t be how we was. … If me and you don’t want the same thing no more and you show me that you don’t want the same thing, we don’t want the same thing.”
Asked during an appearance on the It Is What It Is podcast (Twitter video link) whether he wants to be a Trail Blazer this season, Lillard replied, “In a perfect world, I could spend my entire career in Portland.” Again, it sounds like the implication there is that he’d be comfortable remaining with the Blazers if they were more aggressively building a win-now roster.
During an NBA Today segment on Lillard (YouTube link), ESPN’s Marc Spears suggested there might be a mystery Eastern Conference team interested in making a play for the star guard. “Would Boston do it?” Spears said when discussing possible suitors besides Miami. “I’m kind of hearing rumors about another Eastern Conference team that I’m not going to throw out there just yet.”
Chris Mannix of SI.com said on The Crossover NBA podcast that he believes the Thunder could enter the Lillard sweepstakes if Dame is still a Blazer in January and Oklahoma City is overachieving. “If they’re playing really well, don’t be surprised if they go out and make a run at Lillard,” Mannix said, per Ross Lovelace of SI.com.
Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscriber link) questions the Trail Blazers’ apparent aversion to acquiring Heat guard Tyler Herro in a trade for Lillard, arguing that Herro has accomplished more in his career than Anfernee Simons and might immediately become the best player on Portland’s roster.
In a separate article for the Sun Sentinel, Winderman notes that if the Heat are able to land Lillard, they’d have three players – Lillard, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo – impacted by the NBA’s new player participation policy. Chicago, Cleveland, Golden State, Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Phoenix are currently the only teams with more than two players affected.

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