The 2022 NBA trade deadline brought a ton of excitement to the NBA community. Countless deals, roster shakeups, and many rumors that circulated got the fans very anxious to see what their favorite squad will do next. It was especially exciting for fans of the Nets and Sixers, two franchises that swapped stars in the James Harden-Ben Simmons deal.

After this blockbuster trade, it's not too early to think about the next big superstar who will get dealt. While no trades can happen until the offseason, we can still look at the next superstar who will be traded after the James Harden-Ben Simmons deal at the 2022 NBA trade deadline.

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Damian Lillard is next NBA superstar who will be traded

With his team moving toward a rebuild, it will most likely be Damian Lillard having a new home in the next few months. As said above, he will not be traded at least until the summer, but it still should be him, by all common logic. Lillard is currently out due to abdominal surgery he had in January. He should be reevaluated soon, but with the moves the Blazers pulled at and around the trade deadline, he might be shut down for the season. While his limitless loyalty to the Blazers earned him a ton of respect in the past, Lillard should still end up finding a better home for his skill set than Oregon.

It is well-documented that Damian Lillard loves to play for the Blazers. He vigorously avoided asking for a trade in the past and always signed extensions the moment he became eligible for it. His 10-year stint in Portland is admirable, but if he never leaves the Blazers, Lillard will most likely never win the NBA title. He will most definitely not win it in the next few seasons, since the Blazers started a rebuild by trading away Norman Powell and CJ McCollum in the past few days.

Interestingly enough, this is the second rebuild the Blazers have done with Lillard on the roster. He started his fourth season in the league by seeing All-Star teammate LaMarcus Aldridge leave for the San Antonio Spurs. Still, the way McCollum started playing, the Blazers simply needed to fill their team with complementary players who would be guided by their backcourt duo. There were issues with these teams, specifically with Lillard and McCollum not being capable defenders, but a 2019 run to the Western Conference Finals and a few iconic moments covered these issues.

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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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Yet, even with all of that in mind and considering that Anfernee Simons is playing great basketball at the moment, the Blazers should still consider trading Lillard. They will most likely miss the playoffs this year and with the Pelicans pick they got in the McCollum trade probably materializing in a selection around the No. 10 spot, the Blazers will have multiple opportunities to select their future in the draft. The problem with that is that Lillard is currently 31 and will be 32 in the summer. Due to his loyalty to his franchise, his skill level, and the long-term contract he signed in 2019, Lillard should also have a ton of value.

The aim of Lillard is not to be a mentor or to get the Blazers some meaningless playoff appearances that might end in the first round or the play-in tournament, but rather to win titles. The Blazers cleverly recognized that the duo in the backcourt would not bring them a title, but what they got for McCollum is more of an investment in the future, rather than a move to improve and go for it right now, or even in the next few years. Lillard must consider that this team might be a contender in a few seasons when he will be away from his prime.

Additionally, the Blazers are in a worse spot than one can see on the surface. Currently, excluding Lillard, the Blazers have four players under contract for next season, with Josh Hart having an non-guaranteed $12 million that needs to be confirmed by June 25, Eric Bledsoe having $3.9 out of $19.4 million guaranteed with the rest to be confirmed by June 29, and a team option for Nassir Little. That is a ton of cap space to potentially be had, but the Blazers do not stand much of a shot when it comes to notable free agents. Their biggest stars in the past were either traded there, signed as risks, or drafted to Portland.

An additional issue for the Blazers when it comes to the financial situation is their indifference toward the situation of Jusuf Nurkic. They did not trade him now, meaning that they will either give him more than $20 million per season next summer or lose him for nothing in free agency. Nurkic will likely get this offer from other teams in the league, so the Blazers really need him, but with Lillard occupying over $40 million of their cap, not much will be left for a third star the team needs if they want to contend with Lillard there.

For both sides to be happy, Lillard just needs to be traded. On the surface and with all the information we have about both the love for the city and the franchise Lillard has, along with the franchise reciprocating these feelings to their star guard, it seems like a tough pill to swallow.

However, their goals are different at this moment and it would be best for all parties involved if the Blazers would move on from Damian Lillard … though for now the plan seems to be to trudge along.