Fake trades are a waste of time, and don’t make sense
Bill Simmons likes to call himself Picasso of the ESPN Trade Machine. Yes, he makes deals that are interesting, and they would work if the teams go through with them.
But, often they’re pipedreams that will never, ever happen. Like the piece he wrote about DeMarcus Cousins becoming a Boston Celtic last season.
Now, The Ringer’s founder proposed a Lillard-Kyrie swap:
Fake Kyrie Trade of the Weekend... we are at Defcon 1 now that Kyrie and Curry are mocking LeBron on wedding dance floors... pic.twitter.com/1lKkQhBPPY
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) July 30, 2017
Um…what?
For the flight risk, for his game being masked by playing with LeBron, for his inability to be happy competing for championships, Portland should never (ever) make this deal.
Yet, others are proposing this.
Bleacher Report took a stab at it days ago, suggesting Damian Lillard and Al-Farouq Aminu to Cleveland for Kyrie and Shumpert.
Why the Blazers would send arguably their best defender along with their franchise cornerstone is questionable.
Why the Blazers would try to replace arguably their best defender with Iman Shumpert is also very, very questionable.
The reasoning behind this is for the “future,” apparently:
"Irving is the more skilled of the two, and his age (25) falls more in line with the core of Portland’s roster. By the time this team is ready to challenge for a top spot in the West, Lillard could be in his 30s."
Swapping Lillard for a younger star guard is a risky move, but moving Lillard for a star guard who could bolt in two seasons — or even one season in Portland — is a disastrous move.
Next: Caleb Swanigan reminds of a former Blazer
So, can we please stop these Dame and Kyrie comparisons? Can we stop these Dame and Kyrie fake trade scenarios?
The deals make little-to-no-sense for the Blazers to make. They are all in on Dame (and his backcourt partner, C.J. McCollum), and the city of Portland is all in on Dame.
The risk of fans turning their backs on the franchise by dealing Dame is very, very real.