Lillard to Request a Trade Edit: Lillard does not request a trade.

[elias808]

hate to admit it but sometimes when its this much smoke, there's some fire...
that being said if we trade dame i hope we trade others 1st because their value will be crap after dame gets traded imho.
a trade trade or 2 i prob wouldn't mind is maybe dame for ingram+ball+picks.. i don't know why but i like it but the team would prob have to be scrapped.
to me dame is a 1 of a kind generational type player but i'm sure all this talk is even weighing heavy on him and he's most likely tired of it as well as the mediocre seasons year after year.

i want so bad to get rid of NO and try to pay Jerry west to consult the team, but my fear is that ownership doesn't care that much about the direction of the team or don't know about how to acquire new GM.

watching the playoffs leads me to believe we need young hungry players, the centers like nurkic don't matter much imho

ill take a stab at a line up i prob wouldn't mind and don't know if they could pull off the trades but here goes


ball/simons
brown/vet???
ingram/little
roco/vet/giles
kanter or vet/noel

go ahead flame away

I.... actually really like that lineup. Lots of potential flaws on how to get there, but I get your idea and I'm with it

[JasonStern]

Unless it's Woj, Shams, or Dame himself talking; there is no trade in the near future.

Dame literally commented on this today:

https://youtu.be/ywPJfHO8N7w

Shots fired at Neil, but it's not like he's saying anything we haven't called Olshey out on.

[Pattycakes]

hate to admit it but sometimes when its this much smoke, there's some fire...
that being said if we trade dame i hope we trade others 1st because their value will be crap after dame gets traded imho.
a trade trade or 2 i prob wouldn't mind is maybe dame for ingram+ball+picks.. i don't know why but i like it but the team would prob have to be scrapped.
to me dame is a 1 of a kind generational type player but i'm sure all this talk is even weighing heavy on him and he's most likely tired of it as well as the mediocre seasons year after year.

i want so bad to get rid of NO and try to pay Jerry west to consult the team, but my fear is that ownership doesn't care that much about the direction of the team or don't know about how to acquire new GM.

watching the playoffs leads me to believe we need young hungry players, the centers like nurkic don't matter much imho

ill take a stab at a line up i prob wouldn't mind and don't know if they could pull off the trades but here goes


ball/simons
brown/vet???
ingram/little
roco/vet/giles
kanter or vet/noel

go ahead flame away

I.... actually really like that lineup. Lots of potential flaws on how to get there, but I get your idea and I'm with it

Those 2.5 wins a year will be sweeeeeet tho

[elias808]

hate to admit it but sometimes when its this much smoke, there's some fire...
that being said if we trade dame i hope we trade others 1st because their value will be crap after dame gets traded imho.
a trade trade or 2 i prob wouldn't mind is maybe dame for ingram+ball+picks.. i don't know why but i like it but the team would prob have to be scrapped.
to me dame is a 1 of a kind generational type player but i'm sure all this talk is even weighing heavy on him and he's most likely tired of it as well as the mediocre seasons year after year.

i want so bad to get rid of NO and try to pay Jerry west to consult the team, but my fear is that ownership doesn't care that much about the direction of the team or don't know about how to acquire new GM.

watching the playoffs leads me to believe we need young hungry players, the centers like nurkic don't matter much imho

ill take a stab at a line up i prob wouldn't mind and don't know if they could pull off the trades but here goes


ball/simons
brown/vet???
ingram/little
roco/vet/giles
kanter or vet/noel

go ahead flame away

I.... actually really like that lineup. Lots of potential flaws on how to get there, but I get your idea and I'm with it

Those 2.5 wins a year will be sweeeeeet tho

Please elaborate.

[Moonbeam]

If Olshey lasts longer than Lillard in Portland, that... will be a hard pill to swallow. Don't know whether I could continue following the team until Olshey left or was fired.

[trix17]

If Olshey lasts longer than Lillard in Portland, that... will be a hard pill to swallow. Don't know whether I could continue following the team until Olshey left or was fired.

100% how I feel.

Portland will always be my NBA team but If Neil outlasts Dame in Portland I can definitely see myself not following the team until Neil leaves, however that happens.

[PDXKnight]

If Olshey lasts longer than Lillard in Portland, that... will be a hard pill to swallow. Don't know whether I could continue following the team until Olshey left or was fired.

100% how I feel.

Portland will always be my NBA team but If Neil outlasts Dame in Portland I can definitely see myself not following the team until Neil leaves, however that happens.

i think in all likelihood both might leave at a similar juncture potentially

[soobias]

to me usually when its this much talk about trades, they happen sooner or later (see A.D.) its just too much for a team to go through for a full season( too many questions every night ).
i like dame too and prefer NO gets fired 1st then trade away cj and others and give the new coaching staff fresh young talent and in a year or so once lakers,warriors,clippers,fade away with age we might have a real shot at compeating for a title.

[Wizenheimer]

If Olshey lasts longer than Lillard in Portland, that... will be a hard pill to swallow. Don't know whether I could continue following the team until Olshey left or was fired.

for sure, and I've said it before: the day Dame is gone while Olshey remains is the day I stop being a Blazer fan

[BlazersBroncos]

We need to put a 3 picks / 3 swaps type deal together and just push all the chips in. To trade Dame before trying that, I would just be at a loss for words.

We wont have another talent like Lillard for a decade or longer. Put a freaking talented team around him for once please.

[Wizenheimer]

We need to put a 3 picks / 3 swaps type deal together and just push all the chips in. To trade Dame before trying that, I would just be at a loss for words.

We wont have another talent like Lillard for a decade or longer. Put a freaking talented team around him for once please.

yeah...although it should not be Olshey responsible for the attempts

I fear it will be too little, too late whatever it is. BlazerLand was just too damn accepting of Olshey's ego-driven mediocrity for too long, especially Seattle's part of Blazerland

2017 may have been the pivot point. Portland could have traded CJ + the three 1sts for Paul George but Olshey held CJ untouchable. Instead, Portland ended up with Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan....and getting swept by the Pels in the playoffs. The level of Olshey's mismanagement that year is epic. And if CJ was untoucable when PG13 was available, I'd bet the same was true when Kawhi and Butler were being shopped. But 2017 one of the golden opportunities that probably won't be available now

[Epicurus]

We need to put a 3 picks / 3 swaps type deal together and just push all the chips in. To trade Dame before trying that, I would just be at a loss for words.

We wont have another talent like Lillard for a decade or longer. Put a freaking talented team around him for once please.

Actually the pre-Matthew's injury starting line-up was very talented and productive around Lillad. Olshey in the subsequent six years has not come close to replacing its lost talents.

[GEE]

Booo Olshey! Fine, so what do we do now? Lillard (per ESPN) had a meeting set up for last night with Olshey and Chauncey. How I wish I knew what was said... One can only imagine. The threat of a trade request had already been shot across the bow. Did Dame just present his desires for bettering the players around him, and if so, what would Dame be willing to part with? His two best buds on the team are the only ones that have real trade value IMO. Roco too, but I see him as a pillar and it would take an upgrade for me to trade him. So what can Olshey realistically propose to Dame that would make him convinced that we can win one in the next few years?

Or has Dame already made up his mind that he needs to move on? Maybe he feels that Olshey will simply be again incapable of putting the players around him that he wants and feels he needs to win it all in Portland. Maybe the coaching hire thing is still bothers him.

I admit to knowing nothing, just pure speculation, and we will likely never know what was discussed, but I've seen how superstars like Bron, KD, Davis, Kyrie, Harden, etc, etc, have all played this type of situation in the past. Wouldn't at all surprise me if Dame not only requested a trade at last nights meeting, but may have even given a list of teams, quietly, for Olshey to try and accommodate his desired relocation, as he sets flight for Tokyo on Monday.

I think he's as good as gone.

[DeBlazerRiddem]

Did Dame just present his desires for bettering the players around him, and if so, what would Dame be willing to part with? His two best buds on the team are the only ones that have real trade value IMO. Roco too, but I see him as a pillar and it would take an upgrade for me to trade him. So what can Olshey realistically propose to Dame that would make him convinced that we can win one in the next few years?

I was thinking about this too, if you are a Blazer not named Dame then you might not really be sure where you stand and if you will be in the locker room next year. One of Dames great qualities was believing in and having his teammates back, sometimes too much so, but now he's kind of opened a free for all on his teammates, as trading them is the only real ammunition that Olshey has to meet Dames demands.

[PDXKnight]

Did Dame just present his desires for bettering the players around him, and if so, what would Dame be willing to part with? His two best buds on the team are the only ones that have real trade value IMO. Roco too, but I see him as a pillar and it would take an upgrade for me to trade him. So what can Olshey realistically propose to Dame that would make him convinced that we can win one in the next few years?

I was thinking about this too, if you are a Blazer not named Dame then you might not really be sure where you stand and if you will be in the locker room next year. One of Dames great qualities was believing in and having his teammates back, sometimes too much so, but now he's kind of opened a free for all on his teammates, as trading them is the only real ammunition that Olshey has to meet Dames demands.

I think chad doing had a good cover on this all. Basically be said you want your star player to want to win, if dame was saying “we make the playoffs and i’m good financially for life” there’s a major problem, nobody wants that kind of star player on their team. Dame simply wants to have a winning team preferably in portland and if olshey doesn’t get him there who can blame him after years of loyalty only to be met with total mismanagement and a plethora of excuses and scapegoating of stotts?

To respond to this post chad had another good point, both radio guys bet olshey would “try” to pull off a big move but both, like many of us, were doubtful olshey can pull that off with our limited assets. And who is to blame for that? Yup of course we all know the answer to that one. I suppose the silver lining to this all is if Dame wants out at some point because neil cannot build a winner guaranteed olshey will be gone because that will be a straight up admission he couldn’t get the job done. Not even a used car salesman could sell that one would think?

[HoopsFanAZ]

Did Dame just present his desires for bettering the players around him, and if so, what would Dame be willing to part with? His two best buds on the team are the only ones that have real trade value IMO. Roco too, but I see him as a pillar and it would take an upgrade for me to trade him. So what can Olshey realistically propose to Dame that would make him convinced that we can win one in the next few years?

I was thinking about this too, if you are a Blazer not named Dame then you might not really be sure where you stand and if you will be in the locker room next year. One of Dames great qualities was believing in and having his teammates back, sometimes too much so, but now he's kind of opened a free for all on his teammates, as trading them is the only real ammunition that Olshey has to meet Dames demands.

One or more of the following is likely: one or more teammates (CJ, Nurkic, Simons … the usual suspects) are traded OR Lillard asks out and/or Olshey is fired for falling short in improving the roster.
1. Firing Olshey without an immediate replacement doesn’t help the roster.
2. Lillard asking out isn’t immediate. He isn’t bluffing, either. If the roster doesn’t improve, he will ask out. This the implication he gave.
3. Olshey apparently thinks the roster wasn’t the problem. This may be true (IMHO, unlikely), but the post-season statement supported the players and limits the perception of a fire sale that receives lesser value. GIVEN Lillard’s statement, the roster isn’t good enough to contend. What Olshey may or may not think about the roster is less relevant.

HIGHLY LIKELY — A trade happens from the core of the team — those who have trade value along with pick(s) — regardless of whether the cost is more than Olshey wants. Otherwise, one or both of what Olshey doesn’t want will happen.

[GEE]

I wonder how this all looks through Jody's eyes? We can all hope this all just quiets down, I'm sure she is, but the value of the franchise must be taking hits right now. I don't think it's 100% about winning a title for the ownership, like it is for Dame, and certainly not at all costs. It's also important to note that it will be her choice ultimately on any major changes, and I have no clue which direction that could be in the coming months... especially if the hits keep coming.

Maybe Olshey is again unable to surround Dame with anything impressive enough for Dame to not grumble, or request to be traded. What then? How's that franchise value looking now?

Does she feel rich enough to get rid of all the headaches by running Olshey, Billups, and Dame at that point? Big question is, could some Vulcan convince her that this is likely, and it could be better to put the fires out NOW, rather than waiting, by (very hypothetical): Trading Dame now while his value is still sky-high, while getting such a haul you remain a playoff team and possibly get even better if you make the right deal. THEN fire Olshey and Chauncey, with a speedy hire of say (again, hugely hypothetical) Ainge and Hammon, while keeping Scott Brooks right where he is.

With the right Dame trade, I believe the BLAZERS could be a championship caliber team again as early as next year, and more importantly, to Jody, will again be a model franchise, and again be worth more than most other franchises around the NBA.

[Sixerfan86]

Sixer fan here, who desperately wants Dame to pair with Embiid. I promise, we will treat him right.

My question for the Blazers family is simple: if Portland decides it’s going to trade Dame, which package will Portland view as the best? I can’t see the Pelicans and Thunder giving up everything to go from bad to only slightly above average. I think the most likely/best offers are:

Sixers: Simmons, Maxey, Thybulle, 2021 first, 2023 first and 2027 first, and swaps in 2022, 2024, 2026

Knicks: Barrett, Obi toppin, Kevin Knox, 2 2021 firsts (19, 21), 2023 first, 2025 first

Warriors: Wiggins, wiseman, 2021 #7, 2021 #14, 2023 first, 2025 first

I don’t see anyone else topping those offers.

[Norm2953]

All things equal, I'd prefer a Toronto package built the around the fourth pick which would give
Portland a solid building block for the rebuild that will happen if Dame is dealt.

Any deal needs to be built around acquiring solid young pieces on their rookie deals to build a
new core that can grow together. Depending on how much Portland values RJ Barrett and
Wiseman would impact Portland's decision for its not likely in a rebuild, Portland would want
such an expensive contract like Simmons on their books in a rebuild. I think if Simmons could
be spun off to a third team, Philly could pull off a Dame trade for they are likely the most
motivated to do a trade

[PDXKnight]

All things equal, I'd prefer a Toronto package built the around the fourth pick which would give
Portland a solid building block for the rebuild that will happen if Dame is dealt.

Any deal needs to be built around acquiring solid young pieces on their rookie deals to build a
new core that can grow together. Depending on how much Portland values RJ Barrett and
Wiseman would impact Portland's decision for its not likely in a rebuild, Portland would want
such an expensive contract like Simmons on their books in a rebuild. I think if Simmons could
be spun off to a third team, Philly could pull off a Dame trade for they are likely the most
motivated to do a trade

Portland cant sign a good fa anyhow and simmons is a solid young all star to move forward with

Unfortunately Toronto and Philly both have gm’s with a history of fleecing other teams so we’d need to ensure we get good value for dame should we deal him. Letting teams compete against each other is usually a pretty solid policy