With the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs in full swing, there has not been a lot of news going to teams that started their offseason earlier this month. One of those teams is the Portland Trailblazers. Following a strong start to the season, Portland fell apart and dropped in the standings, finishing the season 33-49, 13th in the Western Conference. The biggest story of Portland’s season is the future of Damian Lillard. Lillard has voiced his frustrations with the state of the team and has expressed that he does not want to be a part of a rebuild. With Portland looking like they will not be moving up in the crowded West any time soon, many think this will finally be the offseason where Dame is moved.
While Lillard has been linked to several teams in previous seasons, a new team has entered the conversation: the Brooklyn Nets. Coming off an absolute mess of a season, Brooklyn barely made the playoffs and ended up getting swept by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. Lillard was in attendance for Game 3 of the Brooklyn / Philly series in Brooklyn. Reports following that appearance note multiple NBA execs believe Brooklyn would be one of the top contenders for Brooklyn if the two parties decide it is best to part ways this off-season.
Looking at Brooklyn’s roster, they have a solid group of players given everything that happened in the first half of the season. Mikal Bridges has transformed from a reliable starter to a number-one option on his team, averaging over 26.0 PPG in his 27 games in Brooklyn so far. Another player from Phoenix, Cam Johnson has improved his game. You can’t ignore reliable players such as Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Nic Claxton as well. Lacking a veteran superstar on this new-look Nets team, Damian Lillard would fit nicely on this team. With some teams expected to shift in the standings over the offseason, adding Lillard would ensure Brooklyn remains a playoff contender.
What would be in this trade for Portland? The first piece going back would be the one Nets player not named: Ben Simmons. Simmons has fallen from the heights he was once at. Pretty much taken out of the Nets’ rotation, Brooklyn has mentally moved on from Ben Simmons. Still owed $70 through the 2024-25 season, Simmons would be the first piece to go back to Portland, solely based on matching numbers. Going to Portland would also give Simmons the chance to revitalize his career and return to the form he was once at.
It is a guarantee that Portland wouldn’t accept that trade if it was solely Simmons coming back. Thankfully for Portland, Brooklyn has a lot of first-round draft picks in the future. As of right now, Brooklyn has 10 first-round draft picks between the 2023 and 2029 NBA drafts. Having multiple first-round picks from Phoenix and Dallas, Brooklyn could attach several of those picks to Simmons as a package to trade to Portland for Damian Lillard. While the picks down the road may not be the best, those future draft picks could help Portland avoid a total rebuild.
With the current state of the Trailblazers, Damian Lillard may have played his last game in a Portland jersey. While there is no doubt that there would be many suitors for Dame, few teams could offer the type of package that Brooklyn could. Given Dame’s history and loyalty to the Blazers over the last decade, it’s likely Portland would try to help get Lillard to a preferred situation. That situation very well could be Brooklyn if Lillard and Portland agree to part ways this offseason.
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