Apparently Lillard wants to be traded to the NY team with 4 point guards

[SharpyShuffle]

Who cares if Dame is literally top ten or not, that's arbitrary. What matters is if he is good enough to be the best player on a title team, and I would say he definitely isn't. A team would have to be crazy to gut themselves to sign a player like that, aged 31 and paid 45m a year or whatever. To make a knicks-relevant comparison, it'd be like gutting your team to sign 30 year old Melo.

If the Knicks want to be Blazers East, they can go ahead. But if they want to actually challenge for a title someday, they just need to copy the Nets. Youth, competence, cap flexibility and patience. The cachet of NYC will do the rest. Going all - in on a dude like Dame is the kind of desperate gamble big markets don't need to take

[Pennebaker]

The Knicks represent one of the greatest challenges for any superstar and the franchise is still one of the classic franchises. All of the other great franchises are taken by other superstars so it makes sense that someone like Lillard would be interested in the Knicks.

The next star to bring a championship to the Knicks is going to be canonized by the NY press and their influence extends well beyond New York City, so there are great benefits to be had with the Knicks if a superstar can figure out how to win there.

[MrSparkle]

In the end, Simmons/Lillard is the only trade (involving either of these guys) that makes sense for anybody. PHI throws in a FRP and Danny Green, POR adds Little or McLemore, and you call it a day.

Nobody is taking the Knicks' crap for an all-star, and the Knicks can't afford to gut their team and future assets for a 31yo PG.

[jbk1234]

I suspect that with Oshley getting fired, it's only a matter of time (not necessarily the Knicks, but a trade). There's zero chance Oshley would've moved Dame absent a public demand when doing so would've been the equivalent of admitting failure (in fairness to him the repeated injuries to Zach and Nurkic didn't help). Ownership has to be worried about the possibility of holding onto to an aging star player for too long, especially one on a max extension.

[DusterBuster]

I suspect that with Oshley getting fired, it's only a matter of time (not necessarily the Knicks, but a trade). There's zero chance Oshley would've moved Dame absent a public demand when doing so would've been the equivalent of admitting failure (in fairness to him the repeated injuries to Zach and Nurkic didn't help). Ownership has to be worried about the possibility of holding onto to an aging star player for too long, especially one on a max extension.

Yeah, I agree that it’s a matter of when not if at this point as well. When teams fall apart like this, it usually ends with the star leaving. Rockets are a recent example.

[DusterBuster]

In the end, Simmons/Lillard is the only trade (involving either of these guys) that makes sense for anybody. PHI throws in a FRP and Danny Green, POR adds Little or McLemore, and you call it a day.

Nobody is taking the Knicks' crap for an all-star, and the Knicks can't afford to gut their team and future assets for a 31yo PG.

I could be talked into a Simmons for Dame deal at this point, I just don’t think Simmons would play for Portland. He would bring his holdout game with him.

[Richard4444]

1) The "source" is not reliable. You may ignore it.

2) But I believe The Knicks could be a great star land spot. Durant, Harden, and Irving showed us that players want to play in NY if the team can be serious and competitive.

3) Anyway, Lillard did not have a say about the trade. He is locked until 2025.

4) Knicks package can be competitive. Besides, good young players like RJ, IQ, and Obi, we have a lot of picks. Portland can be tempted to gamble with our future picks betting on our failure.

5) Lillard signing would be a very risky move considering his age, his current injury, and his current performance. He may start getting washed. The Knicks can be turned into a treadmill team by signing him and compromising 70M in Lillard/Randle duo with few low FRPs in their future and almost no cap space and high potential young players.

[DroseReturnChi]

The Knicks represent one of the greatest challenges for any superstar and the franchise is still one of the classic franchises. All of the other great franchises are taken by other superstars so it makes sense that someone like Lillard would be interested in the Knicks.

The next star to bring a championship to the Knicks is going to be canonized by the NY press and their influence extends well beyond New York City, so there are great benefits to be had with the Knicks if a superstar can figure out how to win there.

this is overblown. rose, randle are beloved there and not necessarily superstar. everyone knows dame is not a top 5 player and at times not mvp candidate. homers can temper their expectations and stop demanding rings. lebron, kobe caliber it might be tough.

[Knicks365247]

Who cares if Dame is literally top ten or not, that's arbitrary. What matters is if he is good enough to be the best player on a title team, and I would say he definitely isn't. A team would have to be crazy to gut themselves to sign a player like that, aged 31 and paid 45m a year or whatever. To make a knicks-relevant comparison, it'd be like gutting your team to sign 30 year old Melo.

If the Knicks want to be Blazers East, they can go ahead. But if they want to actually challenge for a title someday, they just need to copy the Nets. Youth, competence, cap flexibility and patience. The cachet of NYC will do the rest. Going all - in on a dude like Dame is the kind of desperate gamble big markets don't need to take

Bingo Bango!

Or rather Bing Bong!

I do NOT want Dame!

[R-DAWG]

I think we also need to take into account here that Dame isn't exactly having a great season, is 31 years old, and after this season has 3 supermax years left on his contract. And one thing about the supermax - have we seen any of those contracts age well? Look at the Lakers and how difficult it is to have a $44MM per year guy who isn't an MVP level player in terms of the limitations it puts on your roster (unless you have an owner that just doesn't care about the luxury tax the way the Buss family seems to).

Most likely, Portland will require future, unprotected first round picks at the time Dame is 34 and making $49MM. Point being, there isn't time to get Dame and build a team around him. Similar to Harden in Brooklyn, Dame needs to be the final piece for a team that is already in the contender conversation. Portland's challenge is the longer they wait to trade Lillard, the less they will get for him in a trade. At this point, even with his slow start, they can probably get similar value to what Houston got for Harden (4 unprotected 1st, 3 unprotected swaps) again hoping the back end of those picks turn into lotto picks - which Houston is banking on with the Brooklyn picks they own. However, if Dame's performance over the 1st 25% of the season remains the same for the balance of the season, Portland will be lucky to get what Washington got for Westbrook (3 rotation players and a mid 1st rd pick). Challenging times for Portland, especially without a full time GM in place, and you would think the ideal scenario would be holding off on making a Dame decision until a new GM is in place.

Looking around the league - Philadelphia is really the only situation where Dame could slide in right away and team up with another MVP candidate and have a real chance at a championship this year (taking the Lakers and Clippers off the table since neither team has the assets to pull off a Dame trade). I don't think Boston would want to tie up both their cap space and future assets as Brown/Tatum are hitting their primes on a declining player and the Bulls are capped out of their assets otherwise that would be very interesting. Out West, in theory, Dame can elevate both Utah and Dallas from pretender to contender.

[Hipster Doofus]

New York Knicks ... where aging point guards go for their twilight retirement years.

[Godymas]

Morey is such an idiot man, does he really think that just because he has Ben Simmons he's going to be able to get Damian Lillard

The more I hear about how Morey just plays the entire game like a business and a numbers and stats guy and removes the human element, the more I dislike him, just trade Simmons already, no one is winning from this situation.

If Philly implodes completely he's gotta be fired.

[R-DAWG]

Morey is such an idiot man, does he really think that just because he has Ben Simmons he's going to be able to get Damian Lillard

The more I hear about how Morey just plays the entire game like a business and a numbers and stats guy and removes the human element, the more I dislike him, just trade Simmons already, no one is winning from this situation.

If Philly implodes completely he's gotta be fired.

Remember this is the same guy who traded Chris Paul and a bunch of draft capital for Russell Westbrook. Looking back a few years later, it's crazy to think that the draft capital didn't go the other way.

[Woodsanity]

Hard pass on Dame. Dude is on decline.

[danvato]

I don't know how he could possibly beat out Knicks young superstar Alec Burks for the starting role.

[LightTheBeam]

This is Stephen A, the second I read it yesterday I chuckled. Not only a guy infamous for blowing hot air, but also a Knicks fan. Rich.

But NY should absolutely pursue him. And they could put together a semi decent package. Toppin, Barrett, quickley + picks.

Problem is not much left in NY post trade to inspire confidence.

Still with thibs, Randle, lillard, and vets.. this team should make a little noise

Sent from my SM-G988U1 using RealGM mobile app

[HollowEarth]

Well then what the hell are Philadelphia going to do with Ben Simmons?

[DusterBuster]

Well then what the hell are Philadelphia going to do with Ben Simmons?

Who cares?

[Sharcm1]

Why do we even start threads on players who Steven a smith says are going to the Knicks. He’s always wrong and just talking to talk like always. He’s loud and says a lot of bs. Idk why espn let’s this guy on air.