Damian Lillard is everything an NBA franchise wants from its star man — loyal, doesn't “run from the grind”, and most of all, vocal of his desire to win it all for the franchise he's spent the last 11 seasons playing for, the Portland Trail Blazers. However, Lillard is already 32 years old, and it is looking increasingly likely that the Blazers have already peaked during his tenure with a run to the Western Conference Finals in 2019.

Of course, there are no certainties in the NBA. Even if the Blazers' future outlook looks bleak at the moment, they are still starting from one of the most advantageous positions to be in for an NBA franchise. They still boast the services of a legitimate superstar, who, at the very least, could make the prospect of a team-up enticing.

If a disgruntled star (like, say, a Jaylen Brown) decides to ask for a trade, the Blazers could, in theory, dangle the likes of Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, and even a few of their first-round picks to try and repay Damian Lillard's faith in the organization.

Nevertheless, that seems like it's merely papering over the cracks. Trading for another bonafide star seems unlikely anyway, given their inclination towards big market teams. As we have seen over the past three seasons, the Blazers franchise is on the downturn, and it might be time for them to stop living in denial and finally pull off the Lillard trade that many have been anticipating since the Blazers' struggles during the 2019-20 season.

And if the Blazers do decide to trade Damian Lillard, here are the three best blockbuster offers they should consider during the 2023 NBA offseason.

Blazers trade Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic to the Denver Nuggets for Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., 2029 first-round pick, 2030 first-round pick swap

Why would the Denver Nuggets, of all teams, do this trade? The Nuggets don't look like a team that needs a shake-up of this magnitude, as they just finished the regular season with the best record in the Western Conference — not a small feat, given how stacked that conference is with teams that could make deep playoff runs.

However, their circumstances may change especially if they flame out of the 2023 NBA playoffs, which could, perhaps, pave the way for them to start kicking the tires on a blockbuster trade that elevates the team from good to great.

Losing Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. will definitely hurt the Nuggets; Murray has been a clutch postseason performer in the past, while Porter is only 24 years old, and the high-scoring potential he has definitely remains. But the Nuggets of all teams know just how scary Damian Lillard is under the bright lights of the playoffs, and upping their championship equity with one of the greatest shot-creating guards of all time could definitely be worth the risk, Lillard already being 32 years of age notwithstanding.

The Nuggets' side of things will be the more complicated one to navigate, however; the Blazers should be all over this trade in a heartbeat. Murray and Porter are two incredible assets on their own who could keep the Blazers afloat should they decide to remain semi-competitive. It also allows them to get off of Jusuf Nurkic's contract; Nurk is a solid starting center, but he has been injury prone as of late.

Losing Damian Lillard will hurt, but the assets they can get with the arrival of Murray and Porter will definitely cushion that blow.

Blazers deal Damian Lillard to the New Orleans Pelicans for CJ McCollum, Dyson Daniels, Kira Lewis Jr., 2024 first-round pick (from NOP), 2024 or 2025 first-round pick (from LAL), 2026 first-round pick (from NOP), 2027 first-round pick (from MIL)

To those who might be thinking that this (along with the Nuggets package) is too much to give up for Damian Lillard, it's worth mentioning that Lillard, despite being 32 years of age already, averaged 32.2 points on 64.5 percent true shooting this past season. Lillard is one of the best offensive players in the league, and it takes a king's ransom to pry those kinds of players away in a trade.

It'll be a bit funny if the Pelicans decide to trade for Lillard with CJ McCollum heading back to Portland as the centerpiece, but he's the only reasonable player for them to dangle to match salaries. In this scenario, the Pelicans will avoid trading away Trey Murphy III, a burgeoning marksman who has plenty of room to grow still on both ends.

Four first-round picks seem to be the going rate for blockbuster trades these days, and this deal won't be any different for the Blazers. While the Blazers should prefer to acquire a more NBA-ready package similar to the Nuggets trade above, this deal isn't too shabby, especially with lockdown 6'8 guard Dyson Daniels (a solid complementary piece to Anfernee Simons) headed to Portland in addition to all the draft assets.

Those picks could become something of value as well, given the uncertainty of both the Pelicans and Lakers' futures (Zion Williamson injury woes and LeBron James' age).

Blazers trade Damian Lillard to the Miami Heat for Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Nikola Jovic, 2024, 2026, 2028, 2030 first-round picks (MIA)

The Heat may be mortgaging their future in this scenario, and they will be needing to move Kyle Lowry as a result of this hypothetical trade, but a Damian Lillard, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo core is as good a place to start as any.

For the Blazers, this will be a huge bet that the Heat would falter sooner than later, which could be a good bet since Jimmy Butler is already 33 years old. Absorbing Duncan Robinson's contract will be a tough pill to swallow, but in a rebuild, paying big money for a role player who barely gets any minutes shouldn't be too big of a problem. They could even facilitate a career revival for the struggling sharpshooter.

Tyler Herro and Anfernee Simons won't be a seamless fit on the defensive end, but all the Blazers should be focusing on is asset-gathering, and this trade allows them to do that and gear up for a Lillard-less future.