Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard trade proposals are good for a few laughs

Damian Lillard trade proposals have been plentiful and hilarious; an open letter to members of the nation’s basketball media:

I know you all want Damian Lillard. But for some reason, the Portland Trail Blazers‘ struggles on the court and front office chaos have you all thinking that he can be had in a trade for an assistant trainer and three used jockstraps. But those of us who have watched him on a regular basis for the past ten years aren’t going to give him up easily.

Look, we here at Rip City Project like to propose all manner of trade solutions for the Blazers’ ills. We’ve been looking at the unprecedented bounty of all-NBA caliber mid-season trade candidates – Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Bradley Beal, Jerami Grant – and drooling too.

So if you think the fractures in Portland’s roster and front office structure are enough to get Lillard to do a sudden 180-degree turn and demand a trade, go ahead and submit that suggestion. But please, do us both a favor and make it reasonable.

Some of the proposals floating out there are downright preposterous. Lillard to Toronto for a Pascal Siakam-based package? Laughable for two reasons: the Raptors would have to include their three best players to equal Lillard’s trade value, and under no circumstances would Joe Cronin banish one of the Blazers top three players ever to the NBA’s least popular destination.

Even David Aldridge and John Hollinger, who are both experienced and capable enough to know better, have suggested a deal which would land Cronin’s head on a pike in Pioneer Courthouse Square: imagine the protests outside the Moda Center if the Blazers actually sent Lillard to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons and nothing else.

Sixers management wants the rest of the league to believe that Simmons can still be the cornerstone to a championship contender, but it’s obvious they don’t think it can be for them.

And after ESPN blowhard Stephen A. Smith “broke” the “news” that lives only in his head — that Lillard would only want to be traded to the New York Knicks — there came a flurry of Blazers-Knicks trade proposals.

My objection to most of these suggested deals isn’t the value discrepancy. Some of them return fair value in total, but in most cases that takes three to five players and three first-round draft picks.

Trading a superstar for a jigsaw puzzle assembled from the likes of Obi Toppin and and Alec Burks and a handful of picks would be out of character for the Blazers. It’s not yet time for a total teardown and rebuild, and they tend to value consistent success.

The Blazers have the longest playoff streak in the NBA at eight years, but have only made the conference finals once in that span and got swept. It might be time for a change in philosophy if Portland wants to vault itself onto the short list of true championship contenders.

But even with its many and obvious flaws, this team is closer to the top of the league’s barrel than the bottom, and for as long as Lillard is willing to stay, management owes it to him to try and build around him.

After two straight first-round exits, I can understand why other teams’ fans and writers look at the Blazers and see a wounded animal and start stalking. But Lillard has been clear that he wants to stay in Portland long-term and not be a ring-chaser.

So back off, national and team-based media. You can’t have him. And certainly not for your bags of circus peanuts, draft picks, or middle-of-the roster talent. Doesn’t matter how big the bag is.

Sincerely,

Joe Capraro

Rip City Project