NBA Rumors: Blazers’ High Asking Price for Damian Lillard Trade Revealed Originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Damian Lillard’s future with the Portland Trail Blazers will dominate NBA stories all summer long.
The superstar playmaker requested a trade over a week ago but no deal has yet been agreed. The Miami Heat would be his preferred destination, but they don’t have as many attractive business assets as many other teams.
What exactly are the Blazers looking to acquire in a Lillard trade? A little, as you can imagine.
Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian reported last Friday that the Blazers “are looking for somewhere around four first-round picks and two quality players. But to get there, you might have to add a third team to the equation.”
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There’s really no incentive for the Heat to come up with that kind of package if Lillard only has an interest in playing for Miami. Why bid against yourself? Thus, the Blazers are going to have to accept a lesser package to send Lillard to the Heat or find another team interested in Lillard who is also convinced that he will do well there.
Lillard will soon be 33 (July 15 is his birthday), so he’s not exactly a young player. That said, he’s still one of the league’s top scorers and should stay that way for a few more years. Lillard averaged a career-high 32.2 points in 58 games last season, which ranked third in the league. He averaged 25.2 points per game in his career, as well as 37.2% on 3-point shooting. He has two years and about $93 million left on his contract.
Aside from the Heat, what other teams could be in the mix for Lillard?
The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers have been speculated as potential landing spots for Lillard. The Sixers are reportedly unwilling to include Tyrese Maxey in a deal, and the Cs seem unlikely to suspend All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown. However, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix told 98.5’s “Touch & Rich” The Sports Hub last week that there might be a way for the Celtics to acquire Lillard without giving up on Brown.
“I think you can get Lillard without Jaylen Brown,” Mannix said. “There’s a version of this story where Lillard could end up in Boston and the Celtics wouldn’t have to give up Jaylen Brown. I mean, they would have to give up pretty much everything else, be it Robert Williams, Derrick White (and ) every draft pick they have over the next six years.”
It’s going to be an interesting summer for the Blazers. Lillard has been a big face in the franchise, so if a trade can be made with his favorite team (the Heat), it would be a nice way to say thank you 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’ rebuild, and if a team offers significantly more than the Heat, Portland should seriously consider taking it, even if it makes Lillard unhappy.