Another year and the same old story for the Portland Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have performed admirably to put Portland in a position to make the playoffs — currently sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference with an 21-16 record.

The problem for the Blazers has not been making the playoffs, but advancing in them. Portland has made the playoffs in five straight seasons. In that time, they have never seriously threatened to make the conference finals. They have been swept in the first round the last two seasons.

Eventually, the team's front office is going to have to face the facts: they do not have enough talent to compete for a championship. There is nothing wrong with being decent and riding that wave. The fans are mostly happy. The owner is making money because there are people in seats. Maybe the team gets lucky and strikes gold on a late draft pick or breakout free-agent signing.

But once again, the team eventually must decide to start over and rebuild. The time might be coming for Portland to send Lillard and/or McCollum off to greener pastures. Damian Lillard is a dynamic talent who could push teams over the top into title contention.

The 28-year-old is in the prime of his career and is coming off a season in which he finished in fourth place in MVP voting. Lillard has a chance to transform a good team into a great one if he is dealt into the right situation. Let's asses three potential deals that could make that happen.

1. Lillard Joins LeBron in LA

Damian Lillard, Blazers, LeBron James, Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Damian Lillard, Seth Curry

Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 2020 & 2021 2nd-Round Picks

Why the Lakers do it: The Los Angeles Lakers love their young core, but LeBron James' arrival makes it hard for the team to stay patient. James just turned 34 years old, and although he might be superhuman, he will eventually start to decline.

Lillard would be an excellent fit next to LeBron just as Kyrie Irving was in Cleveland. Lillard would take a lot of scoring pressure off James and be a playmaker for other teammates. The Lakers would still get to hold onto Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart as prospects and shift their focus to winning a championship now.

Seth Curry could provide some solid minutes as a floor spacer for James on a team that lacks great shooting. Also, a team with James and Lillard would be as appealing as it gets as a free-agency, destination especially when you throw in the fact that they play in LA. The Lakers would be lucky to have Lillard.

Why the Trail Blazers do it: Usually when you trade a player like Lillard, you expect to land a lot of draft picks. In this deal, they would only be getting two second-round picks, but the arrival of Ingram and Ball would offset that.

This would be a smart move by Portland because it could mean an accelerated rebuild. Ingram has been an awkward fit next to LeBron this year but excels when he is on the floor without The King. Lonzo Ball has flashed a lot of potential as a guy who can run an offense and fill up a stat sheet.

A team with Ball (21 years old), McCollum (27), and Ingram (21) would be talented enough to compete for a playoff spot right away while clearly being built for the future. Throw in their other prospects like Zach Collins (21), Caleb Swanigan (21), and Anfernee Simons (19), and they could be one of the more talented young teams in the league.

Jusuf Nurkic and Al-Farouq Aminu would continue to provide solid minutes. This version of the Portland Trail Blazers would be a great blend of present and future.

2. Lillard the Nugget

Gary Harris

Denver Nuggets Receive: Damian Lillard, Meyers Leonard, and Gary Trent Jr.

Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Gary Harris, Michael Porter Jr., Mason Plumlee, 2021 1st-Round Pick & Lottery Protected 2023 1st-Round Pick

Why the Nuggets do it: The Denver Nuggets have emerged as one of the NBA's best teams this season. The roster is deep, has a nice mixture of youth and experience, and has an MVP candidate in Nikola Jokic to lead the way. Over a quarter of the way through the regular season, Denver sits atop the Western Conference standings.

Despite all of this, they are still not true contenders. They may have a better record than Golden State and Los Angeles, but one of those teams is a dynasty and the other has LeBron James. They're probably starting to feel some pressure to make a splash in the trade market.

Lillard would come in and provide the go-to scoring the team currently lacks. His 26.8 points per game would be the best mark on the Nuggets team by over eight points per game. This would also allow Jamal Murray to slide over to shooting guard — the position many believe would be more natural for him.

Jokic, Lillard, and Murray would from a tantalizing offensive trio. Good luck trying to stop those three with their combination of shooting, playmaking, and passing abilities.

Why the Trail Blazers do it: Gary Harris is an excellent young player with a lot of room to grow moving forward. This move would push McCollum into more of a playmaking role. McCollum is likely talented enough to shoulder the scoring and passing hole left behind by Lillard.

Plumlee is a significant upgrade over Leonard. The Blazers would be happy to get out of the last year of his contract next season.

Michael Porter Jr. was once supposed to have a real chance to go first overall in this past draft before a back injury decimated his stock. If the team believes he can get back to 100 percent, they could end up with a guy who has All-Star or maybe even All-NBA potential. It was only a year ago MPJ was garnering Kevin Durant comparisons.

Add in the draft picks, and this might be enough to let go of their franchise player. Like the Lakers deal I previously laid out, this trade offers Portland a chance to continue to push for a playoff spot while prioritizing the future.

3. The Knicks Make a Splash

Damian Lillard, Knicks, Lakers, Blazers

New York Knicks Receive: Damian Lillard, Caleb Swanigan, Wade Baldwin IV

Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Tim Hardaway Jr., Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, Frank Ntilikina, 2019 1st-Round Pick Top-1 Protected

Why the Knicks do it: This move by the Knicks would be to increase their odds of landing a star free agent this summer. With Lillard on board, New York immediately becomes a more appealing destination for star free agents like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, or Klay Thompson.

Lillard and Porzingis would be a dynamic duo provided Porzingis makes a full recovery from his torn ACL. New York has been irrelevant for 20-plus years now — fans are desperate for a competitive team. The rare top-one protected pick they send out protects them on the off chance the lotto gods allow them a chance at Zion Williamson.

If the front office is feeling daring enough, pulling off a trade for Lillard could be enough to sway a max free agent to sign in New York. If that happens, the Knicks would immediately enter the East's list of elite teams.

Why the Trail Blazers do it: The roster would be loaded with young talent. Adding Knox, Robinson, Ntilikina, and a top-10 — maybe top-five pick to their current prospect pool would be exciting.

Hardaway is having a career year and would step in right away and provide good play. Ntilikina has struggled early in his career, but a change of scenery may be all he needs to become a productive player. The lightly protected pick means they would almost assuredly get a chance at adding an elite prospect — perhaps PG Ja Morant from Murray State.

The Blazers would only agree to a deal like this close to the deadline. This way, the Knicks cannot ruin the draft position of their pick too much with Lillard joining the squad. This trade could be beneficial for both teams.