Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard wants veteran talent as soon as possible, and for a team with $25.7 million in maximum cap space without re-signing any of their own free agents, that means the Blazers front office needs to pick up the phone and make trade calls to executives around the league.
Among the players that Portland could inquire about are Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown and Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, though Yahoo Sports insider Jake Fischer cautions against assuming Brown and Lillard have had any kind of discussions about playing together:
“I’ll say that Jaylen Brown has been a player that I believe Damian Lillard has had on his proverbial list of those switchy wing-type secondary stars like the Jerami Grants and the Aaron Gordons that have been recently linked to Portland and Dame for a while now.”
Here’s the full clip of what got us aggregated.
@JakeLFischer joined the show this morning to talk Portland’s off-season, Chauncey’s future & more!
Full interview: https://t.co/K7Obu5x3YB pic.twitter.com/poE74ta7J5
— Dirt & Sprague (@DirtAndSprague) April 10, 2023
Brown became the subject of trade speculation in light of his comments about the Celtics fan base and his desire to feel needed.
While he's pushed back against the idea that he's unhappy with Boston, looking for a way out, or wants to separate the star duo he completes with fan favorite Jayson Tatum, Fischer notes that a first-round loss to the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Playoffs could lead to the Celtics making significant changes.
As for Gordon, an integral part of Denver's defensive scheme and an excellent fit beside star center Nikola Jokic; there's no reason to believe that either he or the Nuggets are looking for a change.
However, the Blazers have plenty of reason to be interested in Gordon, whether he was looked at as a starter next to impending free agent Jerami Grant or a replacement for him.
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