Trail Blazers "Open To Entire League" — Top 4 Landing Spots for Damian Lillard
So Damian Lillard finally admits he wants out of Portland. But he does not have a no-trade clause, so although he has his "preference" of where he wants to go, the Portland Trail Blazers can send him anywhere they want.
Lillard has apparently expressed his desire to only play for one team, but sometimes, you can't always get what you want.
Insider Adrian Wojnarowski says that Blazers GM Joe Cronin "is pursuing a star-level return package for Damian Lillard – and that Cronin plans to look well beyond the Miami Heat to find one... they are open for business everywhere in the league."
Miami Heat
Damian Lillard is prepared to only play for the Miami Heat and his stance is Heat-or-bust, per @sam_amick
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 2, 2023
“He wants to compete with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, to grow inside that famed 'Heat culture' system under Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra while becoming the final piece to… pic.twitter.com/350tP9A6qJ
Per Sam Amick of The Athletic, Lillard has expressed his stance to be 'Miami Heat or Bust.'
“He wants to compete with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, to grow inside that famed 'Heat culture' system under Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra while becoming the final piece to their championship puzzle.”
But do the Heat have the pieces to satisfy the Blazers in a trade? If they do, wouldn't this have been done by now?
Philadelphia 76ers
The #Sixers are “worth monitoring” when discussing possible Damian Lillard trades, @MikeAScotto notes.
— Philly Sixers Galaxy (@sixers_galaxy) July 2, 2023
“With James Harden demanding a trade out of Philadelphia and Daryl Morey always looking to add a star player, the 76ers are worth monitoring.” pic.twitter.com/vAkohGQWTl
A teaming of Lillard with MVP center Joel Embiid would seemingly, on paper, make a ton of sense, and keep the Sixers in the championship conversation.
“With James Harden demanding a trade out of Philadelphia and Daryl Morey always looking to add a star player, the 76ers are worth monitoring," writes NBA Insider Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
But the Sixers seemingly have no intention of parting with Tyrese Maxey, one of the "star level" players that the Blazers would want back. And would the Blazers really want to take on James Harden?
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers have been linked to Harden since his trade request last week, but a deal hasn't yet materialized. And besides, wouldn't they rather have Lillard? Also, it doesn't seem like the Clips could put together a better package than either Philly or Miami, even with the likes of Terrence Mann involved.
Utah Jazz
This is another team that's been linked to the Lillard sweepstakes, and they definitely DO have the assets — young players and/or top draft picks — to get something done. But how much would Lillard fight the idea of going to a team that is nowhere close to a championship?
Photo: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
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