Damian Lillard had a well-documented interest in the Brooklyn Nets this summer, but from all reports, it was not reciprocated on Brooklyn's end. With negotiations between Portland and his top preferred destination, the Miami Heat, going nowhere, the seven-time All-Star reportedly informed the Bucks and Nets last month that he was interested in trades to both teams.
Lillard was subsequently traded to Milwaukee, and Nets general manager Sean Marks confirmed Monday that they never entered negotiations.
“I usually never comment on things like that, but on this one, no, there’s no substance there,” Marks said at Media Day. “We talked openly, Jacque (Vaughn), myself and owner Joe Tsai about how we’re going to build this thing. Not necessarily just taking our time, but we’re always going to look under every stone and every rock and see what else is there.”
“We’re excited about seeing this group, a young group going out there which to be quite frank all have chips on their shoulder, something to prove, for all different reasons at all different levels.”
Lillard's interest in Brooklyn was tied mainly to his longtime affinity for rising Nets star Mikal Bridges. An agent and marketer at Goodwin Sports, the firm that represents Lillard, also said he believed in Ben Simmons' ability to return to form in the coming years.
With Bridges, Simmons, Nic Claxton and Cam Johnson in place as Brooklyn's core, a trade for Lillard would have elevated the Nets into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference but still short of contender status.
The Nets Timeline Didn't Fit With A Lillard Trade
Marks admitted it's encouraging to see a player of Lillard's caliber want to come to town. However, he ultimately decided the 33-year-old did not fit the timeline with the team more than one move away from contention.
“He’s an amazing player, an amazing talent, and an amazing individual. We’ve followed him for years,” the GM said of Lillard. “To have someone like that in your organization, yeah, everyone is going to say, ‘Why not? How can we do it?’ But you've also got to look at what fits long term for you, what’s your approach now? Does that make you a contender? What do you have to do in addition to that?”
“Because one move might not get it done. You have to do several to put yourself in a place to really be considered contenders. For us right now, we’re excited about getting this group out there on the floor.”
Sean Marks reveals how close the Nets came to acquiring Damian Lillard: "He's an amazing player… But you've also got to look at what fits long-term." pic.twitter.com/QJn8zjHuCy
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) October 2, 2023
After passing on Lillard, Brooklyn is positioned with seven tradable first-round picks, the fourth-most in the NBA. That includes a pool of enticing unprotected 2027-2029 first-rounders via Phoenix and Dallas. The Nets are excited to see what they have with a new-look roster in 2023-24 but remain searching for the right opportunity to re-enter the title conversation.
“You never know when your window is gonna be, like, ‘Hey, we need to really go jump. We need to get right back into it.' We’ll wait for those opportunities,” Marks said. “But again, I don’t want to discredit the guys who we have. It will be fun to see who can take the next step with this group, who’s going to be a Net for long term, who’s going to be worthy of that, who rises to the occasion and so forth.
“It’s fun to have these draft assets. We love the draft and we love looking forward to that in the future and how we go about using them. Keeping that versatility for this franchise moving forward is going to be really important.”
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