We’ve reached peak NBA offseason rumor season with multiple trades in the past few days involving draft picks and even star players like Bradley Beal. But now the basketball community is looking to Damian Lillard, wondering if this is the year the Portland Trail Blazers trade the seven-time All-Star.
Thursday’s NBA draft is being looked at as a pivotal moment for a potential Lillard trade, helping determine the Blazers’ future. Whether they push toward contention or a rebuild remains to be seen, but it should become obvious after the draft once they make a decision with the third pick.
While teams can continue calling about Lillard trades, it appears the Blazers’ minds are already made up. The longtime franchise cornerstone isn’t going anywhere.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, despite the Miami Heat “anxiously waiting to see what happens,” the Blazers have “shut down anybody who has called for Lillard.”
So, instead of trying to use the 32-year-old superstar as a trade chip to spur a strong rebuilding effort, the Blazers are staying true to their original plans, building around their loyal superstar.
Boasting the third pick, plus two young developing talents in Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe, gives the Blazers a formidable foundation to work with alongside Lillard. How quickly the young trio can figure out how to be more consistent will play a large factor in whether coach Chauncey Billups’ team can become a playoff team for the first time during his tenure.
But if Lillard and the front office are all on the same page, then standing pat at No. 3, taking the best player available, which seems to be pointing to Scoot Henderson, could make the most sense both in the short and long term.