With a myriad of draft picks at their disposal from the Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant trades, Heavy’s Sean Deveney says the Brooklyn Nets will be one of the teams “at the forefront” looking to land All-Star guard Damian Lillard. But the major hurdle standing in their way is convincing the Portland Trail Blazers to take Ben Simmons in a potential blockbuster deal.
“Brooklyn can be expected to be at the forefront of teams making offers Lillard should he become available, because he would be an ideal fit for a young, defense-heavy roster,” Deveney writes.
“But the Nets probably do not have the draft assets on hand to make a deal work. And the big problem is that the Nets would have to persuade the Blazers to take on Ben Simmons for Lillard.”
For those who may be tardy to the party, the Brooklyn Nets made the tough decision to rule out Ben Simmons for the remainder of the season. A back impingement, dating back to last year, has sabotaged Simmons’ debut season with the Nets. He appeared in 42 games and averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists.
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Ben Simmons Could Be Good Fit for Blazers Rebuild
The Nets’ star was originally brought in to be a supplemental piece to an All-Star trio that featured Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, but with the two of them no longer on the team Simmons’ skillset may not be equipped for this roster.
Simmons may not be the star that Lillard is, but if the Blazers are looking to start a rebuild, trading for him could be a good starting point. For starters, Simmons and Lillard have similar contracts. The Nets star is on a 5-year, $177 million deal that expires in 2025, while Lillard is on a 4-year, $176 million deal, with a player option in 2025. In addition, Simmons is just 26 years old compared to the 32-year-old Lillard, and at his best, he is an All-Star level talent and one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders.
Couple that with the Nets’ draft picks, and it could be enough to make the Blazers at least ponder about a potential deal with Brooklyn.
Blazers Won’t Trade Damian Lillard Unless He Demands It
While it is interesting to fathom the thought of Lillard in a Nets jersey, the idea is just pie in the sky. With Lillard not scheduled to hit free agency until at least 2025, the Blazers are not obligated to trade him. One NBA executive told Deveney that If the Blazers were to send Lillard elsewhere, it would have to be because he demanded a trade.
“They’re not going to trade him on their own. He is going to have to come to them and say, ‘OK, it is time, let’s move on,’” one NBA executive told Heavy Sports.
“They’re not just going to ship him out to get rid of him. He has shown them loyalty and they’re going to do the same. But more and more, there is a bigger chance he will ask out. He could very well be the focal point of all talk in the next couple of months.”
With the star guard expressing his loyalty to the franchise several times over the past few seasons, Lillard getting traded seems like an unlikely outcome.