The NBA rumor mill has been spinning uncontrollably after Damian Lillard appeared on a recent episode of Showtime's The Last Stand with Brian Custer.

Though there were many worthwhile talking points discussed during their nearly hour-long conversation, the one segment of the interview that caught the attention of fans and media pundits alike was when the discussion pivoted toward potential trade destinations.

Throughout his tenure with the Trail Blazers, Lillard has been quite vocal about his desire to remain loyal to the franchise that drafted him, though considering their recent two postseason-less campaigns coupled with the concept of a youth movement percolating, the superstar guard's tone has shifted just slightly when it comes to his willingness to move on.

While the goal for him is still to remain in Portland and contend for a championship as he mentioned in his interview, this didn't stop Custer from rattling off the names of a few teams across the association that “everybody” has been linking him to as being possible destinations.

With this, today we discuss each of the teams mentioned during Damian Lillard's time on The Last Stand and rank them in order from least to most likely being the landing spot that would provide him the best opportunity to win that highly coveted NBA Championship.

Damian Lillard landing spot No. 4) Brooklyn Nets

Though even Damian Lillard himself mentioned the Nets specifically as “an obvious one” when it comes to being a preferred landing spot in the hypothetical scenario that he's traded from Portland, they find themselves ranked dead last on today's list.

Don't get it twisted, the way in which Brooklyn has managed to set itself up after the failed all-in Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving-era is truly remarkable. Flush with ample draft capital and a bevy of young, promising talents headlined by the likes of Mikal Bridges (someone Lillard described to Custer as “my dog”), this team seems to have an extremely bright future ahead of them.

However, their potential may be several years away from being unlocked, at which point the 32-year-old Lillard will be pushing closer and closer to 40 and, thus, will be toward the tail-end of his career.

Considering he's looking to win now and has been vocal about his unwillingness to take part in a youth movement with the Blazers already, despite the fun brand of basketball that would come with the guard joining this Nets core, they don't seem to have the ability to tickle his fancy of legitimately contending at the moment.

Damian Lillard landing spot No. 3) New York Knicks

The New York Knicks managed to exceed expectations in 2022-23 and went on to nab their best record and first playoff series win since 2012-13. Now, they head into an offseason with a chance to bolster their roster and better their odds of achieving a greater amount of success come next season.

To some, the concept of adding a guy like Damian Lillard would be a strong power move for the likes of Leon Rose and company to consider making.

However, despite having just brought the current Eastern Conference kings in the Miami Heat to six games in this year's semifinals, like the Nets, they still look to be several years away from legitimately contending should they remain on their current track.

The notion that this Knicks team is one piece away is an absolute farce and, even if it wasn't, adding another point guard to a backcourt already led by Jalen Brunson likely isn't the way to go about adding that long-awaited top-flight talent.

They need to better fill out the roster, with the wing position likely being a point of emphasis for the front office this offseason, not stockpile upon already deep and established positions.

Outside of star power, there are still many areas on New York's roster such as 3-point percentage and, surprisingly for a Tom Thibodeau club, overall defensive production that is in serious need of tinkering, and adding Lillard alone, though it may help, is not the answer to these problems.

Damian Lillard landing spot No. 2) Boston Celtics

Putting the Boston Celtics at number two seems a bit icky. After all, this current core headlined by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has gone to six straight postseasons, four Eastern Conference Finals, and just brought the franchise to their first NBA Finals in over a decade last season.

Without a doubt, simply adding Damian Lillard to this roster would almost certainly provide him with the best odds of claiming his first championship ring out of any other team mentioned here today and, arguably, of any other team in the association.

However, the Celtics would have zero chance of executing such a blockbuster without significantly altering their current makeup which, in turn, has them falling short of the number one spot.

Now, even with such drastic shakeups to the rotation, bringing on Lillard could still make this Boston team a true contender as they currently are. However, his arrival would mean one of two things: either the C's gut their tremendous amount of depth and cough up a king's ransom of future picks to create a new Big-3 with him and the Jays, or they ship out Tatum or Brown (most likely Brown) to Portland.

No matter which hypothetical route winds up being embarked upon, there will be serious downgrades and deterrents to this roster heading into next season and beyond. Because of this reason alone, the Celtics find themselves falling second on this list.

Damian Lillard landing spot No. 1) Miami Heat

When initially asked which of the four teams mentioned would be his preferred destination in the event that the Blazers trade him, with a chuckle, Damian Lillard quickly deemed the Miami Heat as his top option, and it's clear to see why.

Not only are they the current representatives of the Eastern Conference in this year's NBA Finals, but it is their second time serving as so over the last four years, and have gone to the conference finals three separate times during this time span.

Without a legitimate franchise guard, the Heat managed to shock the world and become just the second eighth seed in NBA history to reach the championship round and have already stolen a win on the road against this heavily-favored Denver Nuggets team.

Imagine if they had Damian Lillard in tow?!

Unlike the Celtics, Miami could, for the most part, keep their core group intact should they pursue a deal for the seven-time All-Star. While it would hurt to see him go, a Portland-bound trade package headlined by 23-year-old budding star Tyler Herro could be one of the most enticing offers they could realistically be receiving in any potential deal.

The Heat could also go on to add guys like Caleb Martin and rookie big man Nikola Jovic as sweeteners, as well as, say, two first-round picks and whatever other contracts they may need to make the money work.

Though still a hefty haul, it's significantly less in quantity than what a team like the Celtics could offer, and it would also still allow them to keep several other key contributors such as Victor Oladipo (assuming he returns healthy), Duncan Robinson, and Kyle Lowry (unless they can use his contract to their advantage in the hypothetical deal) in tow around them.

A star trio of Lillard, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo would automatically be viewed as one of the most menacing in the entire league. After that, it would be up to Pat Riley to work his magic and fill out the rest of the rotation to the best of his abilities.

Let's not forget folks, he's done this before.