Getty Damian Lillard warms up prior to a bout between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Miami Heat.
The Brooklyn Nets are in the midst of their first-round playoff series with their conference rival Philadelphia 76ers. It is impressive that they are even in this position, especially after trading away two future Hall of Famers in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. But the Nets currently trail 0-3 in their best-of-seven series, a deficit that no team in NBA history has been able to overcome. And despite a concerted effort to make it to the playoffs, it is clear that the Nets are missing something on their roster.
Brooklyn has a plethora of first-round picks if they choose to re-enter the superstar era, and Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard recently expressed his affinity for Nets star Mikal Bridges. Lillard stoked the fire even more on April 21, as he was present for Game 3 of the Nets and 76ers’ playoff bout.
Damian Lillard in Barclays Center for Brooklyn Nets vs 76ers 👀👀 #NetsWorld #TheBrooklynWay
H/T @NBAonTNT
Nets ‘Have Interest’ in Damian Lillard
Lillard is as good as it gets in terms of NBA stars. This season he averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. But once again, his Portland Trail Blazers did not qualify for the play-in, let alone the playoffs, after another disappointing regular season. At 32 years old, Lillard is running out of time to compete for titles in his prime, and as one of the league’s brightest stars, fans want to see him playing in meaningful basketball games.
One executive told Heavy’s Sean Deveney that the Nets “have interest” in getting Damian Lillard to Brooklyn, but the chances of them getting a deal done are not great.
“They will have interest in getting Damian Lillard to Brooklyn. But they are not going to have the best chance to make an offer for him because they don’t have the picks,” the executive said to Deveney.
“They did a good job getting as many picks back as they could, but they still owe four picks to the Rockets so they’re pretty much at even strength on those picks. If the market on Lillard is soft, they can get involved there. They need some offense, and they need it bad.”
Ben Simmons Named Nets’ ‘Centerpiece’
The Nets’ assortment of first-round draft picks gives them a lot of leverage in any potential trades. But the most crucial part of any pathway that will direct another star to Brooklyn is unloading Ben Simmons’ contract. Simmons was the centerpiece of a trade that sent James Harden to the Sixers last February, but so far he has only appeared in 42 games because of various injuries. But even when he has played, he has not looked like the version of himself that earned NBA All-Star honors.
Adding another max contract in addition to the nearly $80 million Simmons is owed over the next two seasons could put the Nets way over the salary cap. So the only other option is to find a team that sees the value in him. And with Simmons playing like a shell of himself this season, the likelihood of another team taking on his contract is slim.
“The centerpiece of all they want to do is Ben Simmons,” the executive added. “If they can get a team who still likes Ben Simmons, they have a chance. But who is going to give up a star player for Simmons?”