Lillard: I don't want to be a part of a rebuild.

[DusterBuster]

I've not looked at what Houston has available, but if the Blazers decide to trade Lillard to Philly, perhaps Houston can play a role if Harden is going back to Houston.

Houston has picks from the Nets from the Harden trade. Would be great to get those since Brooklyn is not going to be good.

Also why the Nets don’t want to bottom out. Which also is why they’re going to be invested in the Blazers situation going south so they can get Lillard and ensure the picks they traded aren’t top of the lottery.

Add it to the pile of reasons I don’t think Brooklyn will consider trading Bridges to Portland, even for an overwhelming deal.

It seems like Brooklyn has typically tried to win at all costs, we saw them shoot for the moon back with the KG+Pierce+Allen package. Then they did suck for a while but they signed both Kyrie and Durant then they also went all in again. So they seem to be in the position where they go for a win at all costs mentality unless they truly have no other options.

Yep, and why the player they’re gonna want to go for a win at all cost is going to be Lillard. Adding to reasons they have very little incentive to trade Bridges to Portland. He’s leverage to get Lillard to Brooklyn because of their friendship, and bottoming out for picks and youth doesn’t help them when they don’t own their own picks from previous “all in” trades for Harden.

[Norm2953]

I really think Brooklyn remains the team to beat if Dame ends up asking out.

I just hope Portland doesn't end up having to take on Simmons. Send us Dinwiddie, Claxton and other
guys for trade filler along with the unprotected Suns picks. Start the rebuild around what a team
built around Sharpe needs to win in the future. At least if we start the rebuild now, we have some
good young players around to build around as opposed t0 2026-7 when we've sacrificed the young
players to build a win now team that at best gets to the second round .

[JKiddy]

If I am POR I call BK knowing what is best for both franchises and after doing some due diligence on Simmons I make this deal before the draft to bring a Simons Simmons Sharpe x2 team bring the fun and weird back to POR!

Lillard for Simmons + D. Sharpe + 2 unprotected 1st round picks + 1 lottery protected 1st.

This gives each team what they need. Both teams are better in the long run and are more exciting immediately if healthy.

[JasonStern]

Portland will go into the off-season with these cap-holds:

Cam Reddish $17,863,362

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhAHAHAHAHHAAHAAAA

[JRoy]

If I am POR I call BK knowing what is best for both franchises and after doing some due diligence on Simmons I make this deal before the draft to bring a Simons Simmons Sharpe x2 team bring the fun and weird back to POR!

Lillard for Simmons + D. Sharpe + 2 unprotected 1st round picks + 1 lottery protected 1st.

This gives each team what they need. Both teams are better in the long run and are more exciting immediately if healthy.

Simons, Simmons and Sharpe, Sharpe sounds like a law firm.

[will]

I mean, this is surely the offseason where the Blazers and Dame part ways amicably...right?

[will]

If I am POR I call BK knowing what is best for both franchises and after doing some due diligence on Simmons I make this deal before the draft to bring a Simons Simmons Sharpe x2 team bring the fun and weird back to POR!

Lillard for Simmons + D. Sharpe + 2 unprotected 1st round picks + 1 lottery protected 1st.

This gives each team what they need. Both teams are better in the long run and are more exciting immediately if healthy.

Simons, Simmons and Sharpe, Sharpe sounds like a law firm.

Hell yeah.

Imma have them on retainer during my first divorce.

[JasonStern]

I remember the LaFrenz trade. Portland in the end did nothing with the expiring contract.

That trade was 100% about acquiring Brandon Roy. Eating LaFrentz's contract was the cost of doing so. And he had 3 years left when the Blazers acquired him - not one.

[zzaj]

I remember the LaFrenz trade. Portland in the end did nothing with the expiring contract.

That trade was 100% about acquiring Brandon Roy. Eating LaFrentz's contract was the cost of doing so. And he had 3 years left when the Blazers acquired him - not one.

Ooooh, could you do that in Neil Olshey, pretty please?!

[Norm2953]

Not quite for Portland traded cash + draft rights to Randy Foye (8) to Minnesota for the
draft rights to Roy (7). Interesting enough, Foye had a decent NBA career, playing in over
700 games but Roy certainly had the more significant career. Foye was a part of another trade
that eventually became part of the Roy trade.

https://www.espn.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/1953/a-gift-from-minnesota-how-brandon-roy-got-to-portland

What I remember about LaFrenz was that local sports radio stations kept harping upon how
valuable the expiring contract of LaFrenz was as an asset. In the end, the Blazers took the
cash savings and got nothing in return.

[The Sebastian Express]

Not quite for Portland traded cash + draft rights to Randy Foye (8) to Minnesota for the
draft rights to Roy (7). Interesting enough, Foye had a decent NBA career, playing in over
700 games but Roy certainly had the more significant career. Foye was a part of another trade
that eventually became part of the Roy trade.

https://www.espn.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/1953/a-gift-from-minnesota-how-brandon-roy-got-to-portland

What I remember about LaFrenz was that local sports radio stations kept harping upon how
valuable the expiring contract of LaFrenz was as an asset. In the end, the Blazers took the
cash savings and got nothing in return.

Portland only had this pick because they traded Telfair, Ratliff and a 2008 second for the seventh, Dickau and LaFrentz.

https://www.espn.com/nba/draft2006/news/story?id=2503245

Without trading for LAFrentz, we don't get the seventh pick, which was to target Roy, we don't draft Foye, we don't blow up the Minnesota and Houston trade, we don't get Brandon.

[monopoman]

Yeah the Lafrentz thing was Portland taking a bad contract for some compensation. It's a classic move of teams with cap space to burn, and at that time the Blazers were not good.

[JasonStern]

I remember the LaFrenz trade. Portland in the end did nothing with the expiring contract.

That trade was 100% about acquiring Brandon Roy. Eating LaFrentz's contract was the cost of doing so. And he had 3 years left when the Blazers acquired him - not one.

Ooooh, could you do that in Neil Olshey, pretty please?!

No. Love, hate, or be indifferent about Kevin Pritchard, but his staff made the moves to get Brandon Roy. And Aldridge.

But I promise I will bring my condescending Olshey impression back when we botch this off season.

"Look, when teams know you're a buyer, the prices are going to be higher..."

[JKiddy]

The Nets won't trade Bridges or Claxton. Anyone else likely can be had.

[Norm2953]

That trade was 100% about acquiring Brandon Roy. Eating LaFrentz's contract was the cost of doing so. And he had 3 years left when the Blazers acquired him - not one.

Ooooh, could you do that in Neil Olshey, pretty please?!

No. Love, hate, or be indifferent about Kevin Pritchard, but his staff made the moves to get Brandon Roy. And Aldridge.

But I promise I will bring my condescending Olshey impression back when we botch this off season.

"Look, when teams know you're a buyer, the prices are going to be higher..."

How different things would have been if KP had stayed on as GM for he was always a guy who craved size and
length. I remember the draft talk in 2013 and KP was quoted as saying Giannis was a 6-11 version of Batum.
Giannis just seems looking back, a natural KP draft pick.

Imagine where we would have been if we had Giannis and LA up front in the 2014 season with Nic, Wes and
Dame. A longer run in 2014 might have persuaded LA to stay in Portland and there would be no years of
building a team around Dame.

[Village Idiot]

The Nets won't trade Bridges or Claxton. Anyone else likely can be had.

Sounds like you want to trade for Simons, not Lillard then

[JasonStern]

The Nets won't trade Bridges or Claxton. Anyone else likely can be had.

Sounds like you want to trade for Simons, not Lillard then

The Nets really aren't a good trade partner regardless. They have 3 picks in this draft, so dangling #5 and #23 probably does little. Maybe a Sharpe/Simons package would entice them, but then we have zero guard depth.

Everyone really needs to come to terms with the Blazers big move being something like Simons and 23 to Chicago for DeRozan, or Simons and 5 for DeRozan and our pick returned. Then we overpay Grant. Overpay Thybulle. And add a few veteran minimum players that we have to Google.

Unless we when the draft. Then Wembanyama becomes the next great Blazers big man to have his career ended prematurely due to injuries.

[GEE]

As I understand it, Bridges is the new darling of the Nets, Claxton not nearly as much. Dame is tight with Bridges, was at BKN's last game and were allegedly seen leaving together. One would imagine the two possibly chatting about the possibility of the two maybe playing together. Happens all the time, as I understand it.

Now if the two decide they want to pair up in BKN, then it becomes very likely to happen. I think it's that simple, but I think Dame has choices potentially and may wait to see how the playoffs shake out, before making his wishes for next season known.

Windhorst already blabbing about Miami and Dame, which I hate by the way. Plenty of more speculation to come from several teams that come up short in the playoffs. A possible longshot maybe... Dame also has a good buddy in Phoenix. What if the Suns come up short against the Nuggets? Might they envision a VERY BIG 3 of Durrant, Booker and Dame? Maybe my 2nd favorite:

Dame / Nurkic <<< --- >>> Paul / Ayton / PICKS(would gladly take FRPs several years out if available)

[Norm2953]

As I understand it, Bridges is the new darling of the Nets, Claxton not nearly as much. Dame is tight with Bridges, was at BKN's last game and were allegedly seen leaving together. One would imagine the two possibly chatting about the possibility of the two maybe playing together. Happens all the time, as I understand it.

Now if the two decide they want to pair up in BKN, then it becomes very likely to happen. I think it's that simple, but I think Dame has choices potentially and may wait to see how the playoffs shake out, before making his wishes for next season known.

Windhorst already blabbing about Miami and Dame, which I hate by the way. Plenty of more speculation to come from several teams that come up short in the playoffs. A possible longshot maybe... Dame also has a good buddy in Phoenix. What if the Suns come up short against the Nuggets? Might they envision a VERY BIG 3 of Durrant, Booker and Dame? Maybe my 2nd favorite:

Dame / Nurkic <<< --- >>> Paul / Ayton / PICKS(would gladly take FRPs several years out if available)

I would hate seeing Dame haunt Portland four times over the next couple of seasons. Almost certain Portland
would send Dame to the eastern conference

The loser of Miami/Knicks might be motivated to pursue Dame along with Brooklyn, Boston and Philly. I don't where the
Suns would come from since they sent them out for KD.

[DaVoiceMaster]

Ooooh, could you do that in Neil Olshey, pretty please?!

No. Love, hate, or be indifferent about Kevin Pritchard, but his staff made the moves to get Brandon Roy. And Aldridge.

But I promise I will bring my condescending Olshey impression back when we botch this off season.

"Look, when teams know you're a buyer, the prices are going to be higher..."

How different things would have been if KP had stayed on as GM for he was always a guy who craved size and
length. I remember the draft talk in 2013 and KP was quoted as saying Giannis was a 6-11 version of Batum.
Giannis just seems looking back, a natural KP draft pick.

Imagine where we would have been if we had Giannis and LA up front in the 2014 season with Nic, Wes and
Dame. A longer run in 2014 might have persuaded LA to stay in Portland and there would be no years of
building a team around Dame.

I liked Pritchard. The problem I had with him was that he was too in love with the players he drafted.