For years now, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has been the subject of trade rumors.
Lillard, 32, has famously elected not to “run from the grind” and has remained with the team that drafted him sixth overall back in 2012. But now, the Blazers are faltering–they’ve missed the playoffs two straight years and haven’t made it out of the first round since 2019.
It feels like the franchise and Lillard are at a crossroads. The seven-time All-Star doesn’t want to rebuild anymore, meaning Portland really only has two options.
They can either trade the No. 3 overall pick for an established veteran to try and maximize the rest of Lillard’s best years, or deal Lillard himself and completely revamp the trajectory of the organization and start to rebuild in earnest.
If the fans wana trade me … start the petition and send it in 🤷🏽♂️ https://t.co/zOjGRBh8rD
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) May 18, 2023
It does not appear that they want to explore that second option, but if they did, Lillard would be highly-sought after. Only one team would be able to land the former Rookie of the Year, but plenty would try.
Here’s a quick look at three teams that would make sense as landing spots for Lillard in a trade:
New York Knicks
The Knicks have been linked to Lillard for what seems like years now. New York finally landed a backcourt star in Jalen Brunson in free agency last year, and pairing him with Lillard would be a dream come true.
The Knicks are coming off a 47-win regular season and their first trip to the second round of the playoffs in a decade. In order to take the next step, they will have to be bold.
Trading for Lillard would qualify as a signal that New York believes it is ready to truly contend in the East.
Milwaukee Bucks
Speaking of Eastern Conference contenders, the Bucks finished with the East’s best record this year but were shockingly bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Miami Heat.
Now, head coach Mike Budenholzer is gone just two years after winning the NBA Finals.
What better way to welcome his successor to the fold than to trade for one of the top guards in the league and pairing Lillard with Giannis Antetokounmpo?
New Orleans Pelicans
Okay, this one is a little more offbeat, but it makes sense. The Pelicans went 42-40 but missed the playoffs this season; they have plenty of intriguing young talent but need some more moves to vault them into the next tier in the Western Conference.
Lillard was a longtime teammate of C.J. McCollum, and remains fond of the veteran shooting guard even after he was traded to New Orleans. Can the Pelicans find a way to reunite the two of them while holding onto at least one of Brandon Ingram/Zion Williamson?
If they can, it might be a deal worth doing.