Trading Dame?

[monopoman]

Dame D.O.L.L.A might disagree. I will say this one more time, BEST BLAZER EVER, GREAT GUY!! Really bad decision by the FO. we are in treadmill city.

He still isn't seen having the best of the best often, just because he can dress up flashy from time to time doesn't mean that he owns a huge yacht and the most expensive cars.

Sure he does the rapper thing that nearly all rappers do, but every rich person uses at least some of that money to buy nice things.

[Dame Lizard]

Dame has moved the majority of his family here, has businesses in the area, his family have businesses in the area, he lives here year round.

Y'all should be happy for that man earning generational wealth that will change the trajectory of the lives of his children, grand children, great grand children, all his immediate family and friends. I cannot hate on that at all, not for a guy who has gone out there year after year and left it all on the floor, who has dragged us to the playoffs to try to win every year with a GM who helped him very little in the past and who has given us memories that'll last a lifetime.

Dame's contract is not what is keeping this team from winning a championship.

Earning generational wealth? The man already has generational wealth, multiple times over. Power to him as he's earned that, but it's revealing that he's squeezed every dollar out of this one.

Also, the slight paycut I wish he took, is 'only' taking $55m, not $62m.

For a 36 year old whose market value will probably genuinely be no more than $25m that year (based on historical evidence of 36 year low six foot guards dropping off in their kid 30s), I'm understandably frustrated.

Meanwhile Dame gets kudos from fans like yourself for loyalty while milking every dollar from the club, while he continues raving on about how much he wants to win a championship. I like to have my cake and eat it too also .

Look at what Harden has done this offseason - that's a player putting their money where their mouth is. (I'll happily eat crow if this was a wink-wink extension and he gets a guaranteed supermax deal from Philly next offseason).

Dame has a player option at the end of this extension. Who says he doesn't decline it, take that 'wink wink' (because that's absolutely what's going to happen with Harden, there's like a 90% chance of that) new contract, and recoup some the following year?

Yes, he already has generational wealth. And more money on top of it is more generational wealth. Why would I be angry he is getting all the money he can? And why are you so upset about it? Can you name me one top free agent we've acquired when we've had max cap space, despite having great young players and an all-star? Can you name me the best player we've ever acquired via trade?

Are you really concerned that Dame's contract is going to buck the trend of us.. signing Evan Turners? Or Roy Hibberts? Or Enes Kanters?

Dame could've taken a cut, yep. He could've. Even a seven million. But seven million is seven million. And I don't begrudge him that at all. I don't think he's greedy. I think he knows his worth, I think he knows how our salary system works, I think everyone knows the TV rights are coming up and what happened last time and the projected future of the cap. It doesn't bother me that he took 62 versus 55. Go get that money, Dame. Take care of those kids and that family that couldn't even afford a basketball hoop when you were a kid. Much love to all the Lillard family and continued success for generations.

I think we are all pretty realistic here. It's not likely, the odds are low, we'll ever win a championship through the length of Lillard's contract. Not because of his contract, but the reality is we're too good to tank with him, we cannot generally attract free agents, and a lot of other teams are stacked. I don't blame Dame for that at all. That's not a contract issue, that's not a Dame issue. That's just a Portland issue. Players love us when they get here, but it's hard to sell a city that has overcast for nine months, a state tax, and where the majority (and I do mean the MAJORITY) of the population doesn't look like them at all. And I get that. I'm not angry about it at all.

But also, I look at this from the other angle. There's a 95% chance Dame spends the entirety of his career here. he seems to genuinely love Portland. He's made Portland his home. He is the best player in franchise history, he's never asked for a trade, he's never had one issue off the court. At all. Ever. He's encouraged other people to come here. And he's a great leader who's helped shape an environment where a lot of other young guards and players have flourished, which you wouldn't always find from a guy who is himself a guard. The worst period of time in his career in Portland is last summer when he was frustrated, much like we all were, about losing to an incredibly injured Denver team which never should have happened. And I think we can all empathize.

And maybe it's because I understand where he's coming from when he says it'd be unfulfilling to win elsewhere. Where he doesn't like a lot of the three star stacking other teams do or where they all plan to go to another team together. Maybe he doesn't see the accomplishment in winning with a stacked deck. I don't like that either. There's no fun in stacked teams. It's boring. And predictable. I think most of us collectively roll our eyes at the Steph-KD-Klay-Draymond Warriors era because of that feeling.

While this could also be a bad business decision for the books, I also look at it like this - Portland has a great player. And Portland took care of him, right up until the end. That does carry weight with players, now and in the future.

So for the TLDR - I don't care that Dame took all he could get. Good for him. Amazing for his family now and for generations. Much love to them. I care that a guy who is a Hall of Fame talent, a top 75 player of all time, doesn't appear to want to ring chase, doesn't hold the franchise hostage with demands and mood swings, loves the city, lives here, and wants to retire here, spend his whole career here. Thanks, Dame. Sports is more than winning championships, and Dame will have given us an amazing 15+ years when it's all said and done. Maybe not a championship, but memories that'll last forever.

$7 million is enough for a solid role player. Think a Javale McGee type player. Heck, GP2 cost about that much, and he can be the difference maker in a playoff series. I appreciate that Portland is always going to be unlikely to win a championship, but I'd much rather getting into the second round or WCF, than being first round fodder.

Most of my vent is actually at Portland for stupidly offering him the max.

That $62million, even with cap increases, for a 36 year old 6'3" point guard is almost certainly going to be absolutely attrocious. Potentially up there with the worst contract in the league for that year (yes I'm aware it'll be expiring at that point).

It was an idiotic move. It's pretty simple really, offer Dame 2 years @ 105-110m total and if he says no thanks, reply with "no worries, let's revisit things in January".

A proven and successful GM like Danny Ainge would not have offered Dame 2/120m.

[monopoman]

One nice thing is if that contract is coming off the books we can potentially use it to throw at another big free agent. Now there is a 95% or higher chance they say no but I wouldn't mind seeing Portland trying that when Dame's huge contract ends.

If any reasonable number of Simons, Little, Keon, or Sharpe pan out they might be looking for that missing piece, and can really give a top tier free agent pause at perhaps this is a championship level team assuming we have the cap space.

[elias808]

One nice thing is if that contract is coming off the books we can potentially use it to throw at another big free agent. Now there is a 95% or higher chance they say no but I wouldn't mind seeing Portland trying that when Dame's huge contract ends.

If any reasonable number of Simons, Little, Keon, or Sharpe pan out they might be looking for that missing piece, and can really give a top tier free agent pause at perhaps this is a championship level team assuming we have the cap space.

I love the optimism despite no historical data that we will ever be so lucky.

[USER0023942]

The DLEC.

[m0ng0]

The DLEC.

Can you translate that please?

[DusterBuster]

The DLEC.

Can you translate that please?

The Damian Lillard Expiring Contract

[ebott]

The DLEC.

Can you translate that please?

The Damian Lillard Expiring Contract

I hope we put it to good use just like we did with RLEC.

[DusterBuster]

Can you translate that please?

The Damian Lillard Expiring Contract

I hope we put it to good use just like we did with RLEC.

Or the EBEC?

[ebott]

The Damian Lillard Expiring Contract

I hope we put it to good use just like we did with RLEC.

Or the EBEC?

Too soon.