Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, left, drives to the basket on Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela, right, during the second half of a January game in Portland, Ore. AP file photo
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The NBA landscape is poised to be shaken up once again after Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard requested a trade on Saturday.
The 7-time All-Star has spent his entire 11-year career with the Blazers and is coming off a season in which he scored a career-high 32.2 points per game and shot 37.1% from 3-point range on 11.3 attempts per game.
Lillard, who turns 33 on July 15, has two years left on a four-year deal worth just more than $176 million, including a player option next season for nearly $48.8 million. So in terms of salary and value, the Blazers will need to get a lot back for him.
But where could he go?
Here are a few potential landing spots that make sense for Lillard.
BOSTON CELTICS
The Celtics already landed a big name this offseason when they got Kristaps Porzingis from the Wizards in a three-team deal. But in that trade, they also traded away their long-time starting point guard in Marcus Smart.
Were they to land Lillard, they could more than make up for the loss of Smart, who is one of the best defensive guards in the NBA. They have Derrick White, but he’s not a true point guard.
The Celtics also might have the best asset on this list in Jaylen Brown, who has come under heavy fire for his poor play in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Heat this past season. Brown is set to hit unrestricted free agency next season and could get a supermax extension.
Brown and Jayson Tatum have had plenty of success together. But trading a player like Brown, who is redundant in some ways because of Tatum, to get Lillard makes a lot of sense for Boston.
BROOKLYN NETS
The Nets got quite a haul in the trades of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant last season. The question though is what kind of ceiling do they have.
Brooklyn’s roster is odd because it has so many wings who do similar things. Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson are clearly their starting players at the wing and Dorian Finney-Smith can play and defend multiple positions. However, how far can they go with Spencer Dinwiddie as their starting point guard?
The Nets have no shortage of assets to use in a big trade. Between their numerous first-round picks and wings like Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale, they have plenty of attractive pieces.
The Ben Simmons contract remains an albatross. It could be the easiest way for the two teams to match salaries in a trade, but that means Brooklyn might have to give up something to move him in a Lillard trade.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
The Paul George-Kawhi Leonard partnership hasn’t panned out nearly as expected for the Clippers. Injuries have played a big role in why their potential has never been realized.
Whether they want to break it up vs. whether they can do it are two different questions. But it’s clear the Clippers need more or at least something different.
They could also be a destination for James Harden. But considering Lillard’s playoff pedigree, that might be a better way to go.
A Lillard trade could also push Russell Westbrook to the bench, where he might be a better fit at this stage in his career.
MIAMI HEAT
Of the teams that appear to be interested in Lillard, the Heat have been the one most linked to him and it makes sense why. The Heat lost key pieces Gabe Vincent and Max Strus to free agency, and several of their key players including Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry are in their 30s.
That means that Miami’s window may be closing very quickly.
Putting Lillard and Butler, two players with great playoff track records, together with Bam Adebayo could make the Heat a stronger title contender.
Their ability to make this trade, however, is not as cut and dry. They can trade their first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 because their first-round pick in 2025 could go to the Thunder if the Heat make the playoffs.
Lillard wants to go to the Heat per David Aldridge of The Athletic. But getting him to Miami might require a three- or four-team deal as Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald wrote on Monday.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Given the Sixers’ rumored stance on the value of Tyrese Maxey, this feels like the least likely option of these five teams. However, it’s hard not to love the fit of Lillard on the 76ers.
Putting Lillard alongside Joel Embiid might give Philadelphia one of the best one-two combos in all of basketball. That’s what they thought they were getting with Embiid and Harden, but that hasn’t gotten them out of the second round of the playoffs.
If they somehow found a way to keep Maxey while getting Lillard, the 76ers could be as dangerous as anyone in the NBA.
However, just like with the Heat, acquiring Lillard could be very tricky, especially if Portland won’t take back Harden’s expiring contract.
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