Almost the second the Portland Trail Blazers selected Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the narrative quickly flipped from what should have been an exciting moment – a potential All-NBA point guard slipping to you in the draft after you vaulted into the top three of the lottery – to “Does that mean a Damian Lillard trade is coming?”
The general feeling is that Henderson and Lillard can’t co-exist, and that once the Scoot pick was made, Dame would be on his way out of Portland before the start of next season. Maybe that will turn out to be true, maybe it won’t.
There’s no question, though, that something is changing; whether the Blazers continue to try and straddle the line between developing young players and appeasing Lillard or if the Dame era in Portland has simply run its course, the 2023-24 season will have a new vibe to it.
If trading Lillard is the route the franchise wants to take, the next question becomes, “What is Portland getting in return?”
The 32-year-old point guard has mentioned the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets as potential places he’d like to land if he’s dealt – does Blazers’ General Manager Joe Cronin reward Lillard’s loyalty to the team and send him to one of his preferred destinations? Or does he just go out and find the best package available?
To that end, here are three potential trades that would officially close the book on Dame’s time in Portland: one that could become a dream for the Blazers, one that would instantly become a nightmare, and one deal that might make sense for all parties involved.
Dream Damian Lillard trade for Trail Blazers
There’s a foundation that points toward a possible match involving the Blazers and Orlando Magic, however unlikely, but this one might be too good to be true for Portland.
The Magic acquire an All-NBA point guard to quickly accelerate its timeline while keeping 2023 NBA Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero and center Wendell Carter Jr. Lillard would be a huge boon for Banchero with his ability to create shots and space the floor.
Markelle Fultz wouldn’t be a terrible backcourt partner for Lillard as a defender and facilitator, and Jalen Suggs would also help as a defense-first guard with size.
The offense outside of Dame, Paolo, and Carter Jr., though, would leave a lot to be desired.
The Blazers win this trade with the addition of Wagner, of the best young and versatile forwards in the league; Black, this year’s No. 6 pick; and three future firsts to go along with Harris and Isaac to match salaries.
Wagner is a 6-foot-9 playmaker, shot-creator, shooter, and multi-positional defender. He’s only 21 years old, so he would fit any Blazers rebuilding timeline.
Black is a 19-year-old point guard in the same mold. He’s tall and long at 6-7 and is a pass-first playmaker with a high basketball IQ and the potential to be an exceptional, versatile defender. He would balance out Portland’s backcourt as a bigger, connective guard willing to share the ball and do the little things.
Adding three future firsts to a core of Henderson, Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, Wagner, and Black would be icing on the cake. Harris has a $13 million expiring contract and Isaac still has potential as defender, if he can ever stay healthy.
Nightmare Damian Lillard trade for Trail Blazers
The links between Lillard and the Miami Heat are becoming impossible to ignore and, somehow, Miami always finds a way to acquire a superstar for 75 cents on the dollar.
As Dame named the Heat as one of his preferred trade destinations, the Portland organization may feel like it owes it to him to find a way to get him someplace he can win a title. This deal works great on those two fronts – what it doesn’t work great for is the Blazers’ future.
Lowry is an expiring contract in the deal to make salaries work. Martin played well during the 2023 playoffs but is an average NBA starter. Jovic played sparingly as a rookie. And grabbing any picks from a Miami franchise that is consistently competitive – especially two swaps – doesn’t do much to help down the line.
It does, however, give Dame a legitimate shot to win that elusive NBA title. He’d be joining a team still with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, plus the Heat would avoid giving up Tyler Herro, which was the team’s goal when it was involved in the Bradley Beal sweepstakes.
Even if Cronin can pry Herro away, that still wouldn’t make this a win for Portland.
The only upside here is the fact that Blazers fans would get to watch Lillard compete at the highest level with a chance to win the championship he deserves.
Realistic Damian Lillard Trade for Trail Blazers
As the Nets were Dame’s other preferred landing spot, this deal is a fair compromise that gets him to a place he wants to be while allowing the Blazers to cash in with a legitimate return package.
Brooklyn gets Lillard to pair with his buddy Mikal Bridges. The Nets have publicly stated they’ll match any offer made to restricted free-agent forward Cam Johnson. Dorian Finney-Smith is a three-and-D player who can help Brooklyn compete now. Spencer Dinwiddie is a backcourt match for Lillard as a taller and more capable defender.
The only on-court asset Brooklyn would be parting with in this deal that played a real role last season is Claxton. Simmons has played 42 games the past two seasons, and Thomas was a DNP-coach’s decision in two of the Nets’ four playoff games last year.
The return for the Trail Blazers, in this scenario, is all about the future.
Claxton should become a core player in Portland as the ideal pick-and-roll partner for any of Henderson, Simons, or Sharpe, and the last line of the Blazers’ defense at the rim. The 24-year-old averaged 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks last season.
A roster featuring those four, along with rookies Kris Murray and Rayan Rupert, would be fun to watch play under zero pressure. They wouldn’t win very many games, which would give Portland more lottery picks and bites at the apple. The selections coming back from Brooklyn are down the line and from teams like Phoenix and Philadelphia, who may not be competitive anymore as their stars age out.
Thomas is a lottery-ticket flier who can score in bunches, and he could turn into a bigger asset on a rebuilding team where he’d have the freedom to shoot without consequence and pad his stats.
Simmons…well, you never know. Insert generic: “He was an All-NBA player and defender when he was healthy” argument here. If he rediscovers any form at all, cool. If not, his $40 million salary comes off the books after the 2024-25 season, and Portland wouldn’t be in a hurry to spend any money, this year or next, in this scenario anyway.
Should Lillard be traded? Maybe, maybe not. Will he be? It’s possible. There’s still a lot of offseason left for Cronin to make additions to the current roster, but if the worst happens and Dame is shipped elsewhere, this type of return should be acceptable for the Blazers.