It might seem like a tired topic at this point. The rumors of a Damian Lillard trade request have not just been a constant this offseason, they’ve been swirling for years. Many NBA fans, and even analysts, are seemingly weary of the conversation.
The reality is that players as good as Lillard don’t come available very often, and the very NBA bends toward these crucial moments in which teams could change the fate of their entire franchises. Lillard had one of the 10 best seasons in the league last year, and his combination of shooting, scoring and playmaking can fit onto virtually any team in the league.
There will be plenty of suitors for Damian Lillard
The 29 other teams in the league are absolutely not tired of the conversation but are instead counting their assets and preparing their offers. Superstar trades don’t always result in a title, but they always matter, and in a league where it will only get more difficult to add stars you didn’t draft yourself, now is the time to strike.
Lillard met with Joe Cronin and no ultimatum was communicated down, so it’s not clear when, or even if, Lillard will make a trade request. It certainly seems to be coming, even more so than at any point in the past. If so, there are at least four teams that will be salivating over the chance to trade for Damian Lillard.
The New York Knicks want to trade for Damian Lillard
The New York Knicks have always been star hunters, dating back to the 1970s and adding Earl Monroe. Most famously, they traded for Carmelo Anthony at the height of his powers. Last offseason, after bidding for Donovan Mitchell, they backed off to avoid overpaying when their team wasn’t ready to contend yet.
That was almost certainly the right move, as the Knicks had an excellent season and beat Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Playoffs. Now they enter the 2023 offseason with their trade assets intact, ready to find that star to add to this successful core.
Lillard has long been rumored to be on the Knicks’ radar, and the presence of Jalen Brunson shouldn’t necessarily change that. Lillard’s shooting makes him a fit next to anyone offensively, and the Knicks have a lot of defensive talent to help support a small backcourt.
The Knicks have a bevy of draft picks they can use in a trade, not to mention a number of young prospects like Quentin Grimes, Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. There are a lot of different packages they can put together for Lillard, and there’s a strong chance they make an offer if Lillard is on the trade market.
The Miami Heat want to trade for Damian Lillard
The Miami Heat technically can’t say publicly that they want to trade for another player under contract, but it’s the worst kept “secret” in the league that Pat Riley and company are preparing an offer for Lillard the second he makes a trade request.
The Heat love to go big-game hunting on the trade and free-agent markets, and Lillard would represent their biggest coup since trading for Jimmy Butler; arguably going back even further to that fateful summer of 2010.
Dame’s shooting and playmaking would be an amazing fit on a team with Butler and Bam Adebayo.
The Heat don’t have a ton of excess draft capital to put into a deal, but they would push it all in alongside a package built around Tyler Herro. They can’t offer the most alluring package, but their trump card is that Lillard seems to want to play in Miami. How much will he try to leverage Portland to trade him to his preferred destination?
Miami made it to the NBA Finals with a collection of past-their-prime veterans and undrafted free agents filling in the gaps around Butler and Adebayo. Now, they have a pathway to building a Big 3 in South Beach for the first time since…well, you know. That’s a scary proposition for the rest of the Eastern Conference.
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.
The Golden State Warriors want to trade for Damian Lillard
This is the wild card in the conversation, but the Golden State Warriors have to be considered among any other Lillard trade suitors. Rumors of Lillard returning home to Oakland have always been percolating, and perhaps this is the offseason in which that could become a reality.
Pairing Lillard and Stephen Curry in a backcourt is obviously the most dangerous shooting combination in the league; with Klay Thompson playing the three, it’s unclear how teams would even approach defending the Warriors. The Splash Triplets would rain down fire on any and all comers.
Defensively, there would obviously be concerns, but would it be any worse than what the Warriors are currently facing with Chris Paul coming to town? At least this deal would offer an insane offensive upside that balances out the defensive issues. It might not work, but there’s absolutely a scenario in which it works incredibly well.
The Warriors can use Paul’s contract as a starting point, with young players like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski to potentially add-in. The Warriors can trade their 2026, 2028 and most of their 2030 first-round picks, giving them an intriguing package to send to Portland, who could then become the latest team to move Chris Paul this offseason.
When Lillard and the Blazers finally conclude that it’s time to part ways, there will be no shortage of suitors lining up for the All-NBA guard. Expect these four teams to be fighting to get to the front of the line, hoping for a chance to add Lillard to their championship efforts.