4 teams that are salivating over a Damian Lillard trade request

The Brooklyn Nets want to trade for Damian Lillard

Lillard wants to play for the Miami Heat; he has said as much. What isn’t quite as discussed and certainly not as buzz-worthy is that Lillard would also like to play for the Brooklyn Nets, which is certainly in part due to the location, but also because he is incredibly close to Mikal Bridges, the new centerpiece star on the Nets.

The Nets have a talented roster after trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and adding Lillard could make them instantly relevant in the Eastern Conference playoff mix. That obviously depends on what the Nets send back to Portland in a Lillard deal, but there is a pathway that leaves a strong roster around Lillard and Bridges.

Spencer Dinwiddie can be the caretaker point guard in Portland while Scoot Henderson gets his legs under him, then be flipped at the trade deadline to a contender. Players such as Day’Ron Sharpe, Cam Thomas and the year’s first-round picks, Dariq Whitehead and Noah Clowney, combine with future picks to make for an intriguing package.

That would still leave a core of Lillard, Bridges, Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton, with a veteran wing like Royce O’Neale or Dorian Finney-Smith likely to stick around too. That’s not a title favorite, but they’re an intriguing team to compete in the East, and with Bridges’ defense and Lillard’s offense, would have a shot at more.