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As teams across the league prepare for NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and they fill out their rosters in free agency, Damian Lillard continues to be at the forefront of everyone's minds. The Portland Trail Blazers star has requested a trade after 11 seasons with the franchise that drafted him and all indications point towards him being a member of the Miami Heat before the start of the 2023-24 season.
With this said though, Portland is not going to accommodate him and give up Lillard so easily. Bringing back value is essential to the Blazers if they are to enter an era without Lillard being the face of their franchise, which is why general manager Joe Cronin is taking his time and evaluating all of his options at this juncture.
As many continue to discuss scenarios in which Lillard could go to the Heat this summer, plenty of other teams are being brought up in deals linked to the seven-time All-Star, most recently the Golden State Warriors.
This has already proven to be an eventful offseason for the Warriors, as Bob Myers left the organization and Jordan Poole was traded to the Washington Wizards for future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul. Golden State has made it clear that they are in “title mode” and looking to win as many championships as they can with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson on the floor together.
Adding Lillard to the mix would have instantly created the deadliest shooting team in the history of the league and there was potentially a path to the Warriors acquiring the Blazers star before they went out and traded for Paul.
Recently appearing on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne discussed Lillard's situation, pointing out that he had interest in the Warriors and would have considered a trade to the seven-time champs.
“They could have waited for Dame,” Shelburne explained. “Dame is from the Bay Area. I know he was interested. If he got to the point where he was going to ask for a trade and a list was given, the Warriors would have initially been on that list. Now, that is not possible with the moves that they have made.”
Growing up in Oakland and attending Oakland High School, Lillard's roots draw connections to the Warriors, which Shelburne alluded to as well. In addition to playing for his hometown team, Lillard could have also joined a proven, championship contending team. This is high on his priority list and one of the reasons why the star guard has requested a trade from Portland this offseason.
If Dame was to be traded to the Warriors though, this would have created a cataclysmic response across the NBA, similar to what happened when Golden State acquired Kevin Durant in 2016. This would not have looked good for Lillard and for the Warriors, they would have received even more hatred from those outside of their fan base.
For the NBA's sake, it is probably a good thing the Warriors did not trade for Lillard, as this would have been a massive headache for commissioner Adam Silver to deal with. Then again, who wouldn't want to see Steph and Dame playing with one another and competing for a title?
