NBA Rumors: Original NBC Sport Boston featured asking price for Damian Lillard deal revealed
Damian Lillard’s future with the Portland Trail Blazers will dominate NBA action throughout the summer.
Super Sentinel Point requested an exchange a week ago, but no agreement has yet been reached. The Miami Heat is said to be his favorite, but he doesn’t have as many lucrative commercial assets as many other teams.
What exactly are the Blazers looking for in the Lillard case? As you can imagine, quite a few.
Aaron Ventress of The Oregonian I reported on Friday that the Blazers are “looking for four first-round picks and two MVPs. But doing so may require adding a third team to the equation.”
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There is no real incentive for the Heat to offer this type of package if Lillard is only interested in playing for Miami. Why did you speak against yourself? Thus, the Blazers would have to either accept a lower package to send Lillard to the Heat or find another team interested in Lillard who also believes he will perform well there.
Lillard will soon turn 33 (his birthday is July 15), so he’s not exactly a young player. However, he is still one of the top goalscorers in the league and should continue at that level for a few more years. Lillard averaged 32.2 points in 58 games last season, ranking third in the league. He averaged 25.2 points per game in his career, along with 37.2% 3-point shooting. He has two years and about $93 million left on his contract.
Besides The Heat, what other teams could be in the Lillard mix?
The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers have been speculated as potential touchdown spots for Lillard. With the Sixers reportedly unwilling to include Tyrese Maxi in any trade, it looks like the CS is unlikely to challenge All-NBA forward Jaylen Brown. Still, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix said last week on The Sports Hub on 98.5’s “Toucher & Rich” show that there might be a way for the Celtics to compete. Get Lillard without giving up the Browns.
“I think you can have Lillard without Jaylen Brown,” Mannix said. “There is a version of this story where Lillard could end up in Boston and the Celtics would not have to give up Jalen Brown. I mean, they should give up everything else, whether it’s Robert Williams, Derrick White (and) every draft pick they’ve had over the last few years. The next six.”
It’s going to be an interesting summer for the Blazers. Lillard has been a huge face of the franchise, so if a deal can be made with his favorite team (the Heat), it would be a great way to thank him for his contributions to Portland. But at the same time, the Blazers can’t afford a bad deal. This trade could make or break the Blazers, and if any team is offering more than the Heat, Portland should strongly consider taking it, even if it makes Lillard unhappy.