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Screw it. Give them everything. Throw the kitchen sink. Trade everyone not named Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green on the Golden State Warriors. This is Damian Lillard we're talking about.
The fit isn't great? Who cares? Again, this is Damian Lillard we're talking about.
The sweepstakes for the Portland Trail Blazers superstar is slowly gaining traction after reports surfaced that Lillard isn't particularly pleased with the way this offseason has gone in Portland. While this doesn't necessarily mean Lillard is already looking to book his ticket out of town, this may have planted the seeds of an eventual exit out of RIP City. On paper, the Golden State Warriors don't probably see any reason to get deep into the Lillard sweepstakes given that he plays the same position as their own golden boy in Stephen Curry.
But as mentioned earlier, who cares? If you're Bob Myers and Damian Lillard is available, wouldn't you at least try to swing for the fences considering the Warriors do have the assets to offer a realistic deal? The Athletic's John Hollinger already laid out a feasible package the Warriors can send over that could make Portland consider trading its franchise superstar.
His hypothetical deal includes Andrew Wiggins as the salary match-maker, 2020 No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman, Jordan Poole, Eric Paschall, the 7th and 14th overall picks in this year's draft, and a couple more future first-rounders. In return, Golden State would acquire Lillard and big man Jusuf Nurkic.
However, perhaps the Warriors may want to pry Robert Covington instead. In other words, keep everything the same in Hollinger's fantasy trade, except change Nurkic with Covington to come along with Lillard to The Bay Area.
In summary, the trade would look like this:
Warriors acquire: Damian Lillard and Robert Covington
Blazers acquire: Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, Jordan Poole, Eric Paschall, no. 7 and no. 14 overall picks in 2021, Golden State's first-round picks in 2022 and 2026
Maybe throw in some pick swaps in there to sweeten the deal.
Why should Golden State attempt to take at acquiring Covington instead of Nurkic? Well, Covington addresses more of the potential holes that the Warriors need to fill than Nurkic does. The 6-foot-7 wing gives them a solid 3-and-D option that could play the three and four spots and potentially be in the closing unit when the Dubs go small.
Nurkic, meanwhile, is a slow-footed big man that doesn't shoot consistently from long range. Likewise, unlike Covington, he probably won't close a lot of games for Golden State with Steve Kerr opting to go with Draymond Green at the five.
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It's a crazy trade to make that will send the basketball world into a frenzy. It will probably draw mixed feelings, not just within Warriors Nation, but even across the entire league.
Questions are already arising with the fit. As mentioned, Lillard and Curry play the same position and the Oakland native's arrival would bump Klay Thompson to small forward. The fit may be weird on paper, but the amount of firepower and shooting in that backcourt would be unstoppable.
In addition, filling out the Warriors' roster is undoubtedly going to be a tall task especially after they trade away pretty much their entire future and depth. Nevertheless, with a core consisting of Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, veteran ring chasers will be more attracted to take a pay cut and come along with the ride to a potential NBA championship.
Nicolas Batum and Marc Gasol reportedly expressed interest to come aboard last year had Klay Thompson not gotten hurt. With Lillard in town, perhaps they could entertain that idea again for a chance to win a title. Heck, bring Andre Iguodala back too for old times' sake, if the Miami Heat don't pick up his option. The point is, the roster will eventually round itself out as long as the attractive core is there. Curry and Lillard alone should be enough to entice the veteran free agents to come.
How about Curry and Lillard in the backcourt? That would be the most horrible defensive backcourt in the league, right? While the two aren't fantastic one-on-one perimeter defenders, they are more than capable of playing great team defense. In addition, the Warriors have a tremendous backbone in Draymond Green to anchor the defense. Klay Thompson's return gives them another All-NBA defender and Robert Covington helps them on that end as well.
How about the future? The Dubs traded away a promising prospect in James Wiseman, an intriguing guard in Jordan Poole, a young big man in Eric Paschall, two lottery picks in a loaded 2021 draft class, and multiple future first-rounders. Their supposed core four of Curry, Lillard, Thompson, and Green are all above 30 years old and have a ton of miles on them.
What is the Warriors' future going to be like when all of them eventually age and fall off?
Who cares about the future when the opportunity to win is right now? Maximizing Stephen Curry's prime is probably in their best interest and bringing Lillard over gives them a tremendous opportunity to eke out a few more championships over the near future.
So, again. Who cares? Do it, Bob. Bring Dame home.
