The Portland Trail Blazers, instead of making win-now moves to bolster the roster around Damian Lillard, chose to sell off veteran pieces such as Josh Hart and Gary Payton II in exchange for draft picks and young players such as Cam Reddish and Matisse Thybulle. It looked like the Blazers were more than ready to start punting on the rest of the 2022-23 campaign. But Lillard says not so fast with yet another incredible performance.

On Monday night, Lillard had his way with the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers' defense all game long. Dame Dolla dropped 40 points on 13-23 shooting from the field (8-14 from downtown) to lead the Blazers to a much-needed 127-115 victory over their fellow play-in hopefuls.

In doing so, Damian Lillard managed to tally his 11th 40-point game of the season, tying Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo – two of the top candidates for the 2023 Most Valuable Player award – for most such games, per StatMuse.

This is a continuation of Lillard's torrid stretch since the calendar turned to 2023. In 22 games since New Year's Day, the 32-year old point guard has averaged 34.9 points per game as he tries to carry the Blazers on his back. That stretch includes a 60-point outburst against the Utah Jazz on January 25, the fourth such game of his career.

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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Damian Lillard has also played in just 44 games this year, which means that he has scored 40 or more in 25 percent of the games he has played. For comparison, Giannis Antetokounmpo has played in 45 games and Luka Doncic has played in 49.

Lillard's hot stretch in recent weeks is awfully reminiscent of the carry job he pulled off during the 2019-20 season. As one may recall, the Blazers faced a plethora of injury and depth woes during that season, forcing Lillard to light the league ablaze just to keep his beloved Blazers afloat in the playoff race.

As good as Damian Lillard is, however, he would need his supporting cast to step up with the stretch run looming. Against the Lakers, it was Matisse Thybulle and Shaedon Sharpe who stepped up with Jerami Grant out due to concussion. But if the Blazers were to usurp the Utah Jazz in the standings, they will need everybody to fulfill their roles to the best of their abilities.