The ongoing saga of whether or not the Portland Trail Blazers will trade superstar point guard Damian Lillard is still in full swing.
A common team thrown around as a possible destination for him is the New York Knicks. Many NBA analysts have linked him to the bright lights of New York, but Lillard has remained adamant that no deal is imminent.
Fast forward to September and Fox Sports NBA analyst Chris Broussard is still fanning the flames on this and says that Lillard prefers the Knicks over any other team in the east.
With the season fast approaching, the window for getting a trade down is rapidly closing, so teams will need to act fast if they want to make a move.
Knicks Over Sixers?
“I was told Ben Simmons is willing to go play anywhere, for any of the other 29 teams, except for the Philadelphia 76ers.” — @Chris_Broussard
In a segment talking about a possible Ben Simmons trade, Broussard drops a tidbit about Lillard as well.
“I think [Damian Lillard]’s higher on New York in the east than he is on Philly because he’s not that keen on going to someone else’s team,” he said.
While it can be argued that the Knicks are Julius Randle’s team, it’d be easy to imagine the team turning the reigns over to a more established star in Lillard.
Meanwhile, the 76ers have Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, although Simmons would more than likely be included with a potential trade for Lillard.
With the Knicks, he gets to play under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden while also being surrounded with arguably the best supporting cast of his career. Portland has had some good teams over the years, so it’s a tough call.
How Likely is a Trade?
GettyPortland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard.
As of right now, it does seem like Lillard will be staying with the Blazers to start the season, but talks like this are fluid and things can change on a dime.
The Knicks would likely have to give up a lot of their young talent in order to acquire a name like Lillard. This would include the likes of Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, so the team would have to decide if all of that is worth it.
At this point in the offseason, a trade does seem odd because the Knicks just signed Kemba Walker to fill their point guard hole.
Pairing a superstar with Julius Randle is a nice option to think of, but if it means letting go of the future for a potential push at a championship, it is a tough decision to make.
Many fans would argue that a championship holds more value than anything else, but if the team goes for broke and doesn’t come away with one, they will have bargained their whole future with nothing to show for it.
The Nets have shown there is a way to recover from that, but until the Knicks prove they can attract top tier free agents, it’s a dangerous path to take. For the time being, it’s looking like the Knicks will be standing pat with Walker and Derrick Rose at point guard.
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Damian Lillard Higher on Knicks Than Conference Rival: Analyst