The New York Knicks are reportedly monitoring the Damian Lillard situation with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Knicks have the assets to make an intriguing trade offer, including five first-round picks over the next three years, and the New York Post's Marc Berman claims they āare likely willing to include three first-round picks in a Lillard deal.ā New York also has cap space to make a deal easier to pull off.
Of course, just because the Knicks want Lillard doesn't mean the Blazers have any interest in trading him, even if there has been some speculation about it. Portland likely wouldn't trade Lillard unless he asks out, and he hasn't done that. He may be frustrated with how things played out this past season, but there's no evidence right now that he's actually going to demand a trade.
Former Knicks center and current Blazer Enes Kanter claimed as much on Monday during an interview with SiriusXM Radio. Kanter says Lillard āwants to win it all in Portlandā and doesn't really care about the market size conversation. The big man addressed Lillard's frustrations and said they were only natural after the Blazers lost in the first round yet again, which has become too commonplace during the Dame era.
So, while Knicks fans can dream while looking at those trade odds, it sure doesn't seem as if Lillard is going anywhere this summer. Things are fluid as Portland looks for a new head coach, but the likely scenario is Dame giving them another chance for 2021-22.
IfĀ Dame actually does ask out at some point soon, three first-round picks might not even be enough. There could be more picks or at least pick swaps, plus some young talent. A Lillard trade would have to bring a massive return.
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