Would you trade Maxey for Lillard? (Poll)

[ProcessDoctor]

Exactly. Whether this team chooses to keep Maxey or trade for Dame (I hope not) it's likely going to be up against the second tax apron in a few years time. Thus what it needs more than anything IMO are young players on cheap contracts who can contribute. By far the easiest way to do that is to acquire and develop more picks. It's pretty darn telling that the last of our draft picks to have made significant contributions to our team are Maxey and Reed who are about to get bigger contracts themselves.

Trading for Dame would be the exact opposite of that. The "trade for Dame at all costs and figure out the rest later" crowd seems to overlook the fact that there is more to a team than just two players no matter how good those two players are.

For fun, as a way to challenge this notion...


BKN out: Finney-Smith, three 1sts
BKN in: Maxey, Batum

LAC out: Mann, Morris, Covington, Batum, two 1sts
LAC in: Harden, Tucker

PHI out: Harden, Harris, Maxey
PHI in: Lillard, Mann, Morris, Covington, Finney-Smith

POR out: Lillard
POR in: Harris, three 1sts via BKN, two 1sts from LAC


Lillard/Springer/Beverley
Mann/Melton/Korkmaz
Finney-Smith/(vet)/House
Covington/Morris/Petrusev
Embiid/Reed/Bamba

Don't think Portland or the Clippers do that. Don't think they'd give up Mann for Harden period, let alone plus two 1sts and have to take on Tucker's contract.

And I think for Portland it's close, but I can't see them coming out of trading Lillard with only picks. He's their franchise icon. I think they'll need a young promising player to sell to the fans rather than just an expiring + picks.

I don't know that anyone over 30 has ever been traded for five 1sts. I think this exceeds Miami's offer by a good margin and Portland jumps all over it.

The Clippers side is flexible. Maybe we take Powell instead of Mann? Or they only send out one 1st?

The point is we can send out Harden + Maxey + Harris and get Dame + excellent depth back without giving up picks. This just serves as a rough framework of how. Could be one trade like this or multiple trades.

[LeonJordanJr24]

Team chemistry and depth actually matters .... Treating dame like he a champion like Kawhi or something ...

[Kobblehead]

Still interested in this overrated little munchkin that sucks in the playoffs?

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10081827-damian-lillard-trade-rumors-blazers-star-has-no-interest-in-celtics-76ers-nets

[M2J]

While I agree that 32 year old Lillard with that contract and frame, defensive liability, etc. Isn't a franchise moving piece that you get wreckless with your offer for. He is a good fit with Joel and Harris, but not a fit with EITHER Harden or Maxey.

This upcoming season they wouldn't be able to contend with him by trading Harris and Maxey. No McDaniels...

But the idea that Lillard wouldn't go and play hard in a winning situation with 4 years on his 32 year old contract is ridiculous. Sure, if he was sent to OKC, but those teams wouldn't have anything to worry about. I've seen Leonard play unhappily for years waiting for this extension to be available, he's been great

[phillynative]

I believe Damian Lilard is staying and it's annoying because he's just holding up the sixers situation.

[Jhawk03]

Enough with Lillard, he's going to Miami and will be the last superstar of this generation to bully his way to a "preferred destination".

If anything owners, front offices and teams are trying to take some of the entitlement back from the harm caused by the super team era, especially with the new cba. Albeit subtlety, slowly. Denver might as well be the death nail to the league generally stuck on the idea of a super team winning... and now suddenly aging superstars no longer have the full power to dictate what, when, where, and why. Beal needed a ntc for example but without it, he'd still be a Wizard. Consider that as loyal as Lillard has been, there exists an excuse NOT to give in to his demands and not cripple the franchise he's been so loyal to at the same time.

It's not that fans are learning from the mistakes of WIN NOW by not seeking another superstar or getting a big haul for their return on said superstar in a trade... it's more to do with how the last three championship teams have won organically, the Warriors being the poster child for building through the draft and player development along with Milwaukee and now Denver. Hell I'd argue (outside of the bubble Lakers) that the writings have been on the wall for quite a while now.

I'll say not all, but a growing majority of fans are suffering from superstar acquisition fatigue, or SAF. It's proven to fail more times than not (Raptors being the one success) over the past several years now.

[Hussien Fatal]

Tyrese Maxey started last season as a 21 year old. Being that young it is amazing how good he was as a starter last season. Excluding the 19 games he came off the bench last season he was able to muster up some really good numbers. In the 41 games he started (including the playoffs) these are the statistics he put up….
35.9 mpg 22.3ppg 3.2rpg 4.0apg 1.5to on great shooting splits 49.2%fg 45.5%3pt 85.4%ft

With Harden most likely leaving Maxey will be jolted into being the 2nd option. With more opportunities he will most likely surpass these numbers by a good margin. He will only be 22 to start this upcoming season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him average 24-26ppg 5-6apg on his regular great efficiency. And honestly he may be able to put up even better numbers than I’m anticipating due to Embiid missing his regular 15-20 games next season, and obviously in those games Maxey will be the 1st option and we all know how good he plays without Embiid.

Considering all of this I wouldn’t trade him for a 33y/o Dame. Maxey could easily be better than dame within the next two years.

[mjkvol]

Enough with Lillard, he's going to Miami and will be the last superstar of this generation to bully his way to a "preferred destination".

If anything owners, front offices and teams are trying to take some of the entitlement back from the harm caused by the super team era, especially with the new cba. Albeit subtlety, slowly. Denver might as well be the death nail to the league generally stuck on the idea of a super team winning... and now suddenly aging superstars no longer have the full power to dictate what, when, where, and why. Beal needed a ntc for example but without it, he'd still be a Wizard. Consider that as loyal as Lillard has been, there exists an excuse NOT to give in to his demands and not cripple the franchise he's been so loyal to at the same time.

It's not that fans are learning from the mistakes of WIN NOW by not seeking another superstar or getting a big haul for their return on said superstar in a trade... it's more to do with how the last three championship teams have won organically, the Warriors being the poster child for building through the draft and player development along with Milwaukee and now Denver. Hell I'd argue (outside of the bubble Lakers) that the writings have been on the wall for quite a while now.

I'll say not all, but a growing majority of fans are suffering from superstar acquisition fatigue, or SAF. It's proven to fail more times than not (Raptors being the one success) over the past several years now.

All very true, I've said the same about the last few champions. That makes it all the more bizarre how many are pining away to dive right back into the shallow end of the pool by making one of these all-in moves and talking about opening up "max spots" as if signing a superstar is the only route to success.

[Ferry Avenue]

One thing I believe you have to consider in taking a position on this is that if you believe the Sixers need to strike quick to maximize Joel Embiid's championship window, then the team stands a pretty poor chance of getting through a Miami Heat team with Lillard added to it in the playoffs, within that timeframe.

In other words, not trading for Lillard doesn't just mean the Sixers don't have him -- it also means their primary foe in getting to the NBA finals very likely would have him, which would pretty significantly alter for the worse the Sixers' probability of getting that far through the playoffs.

You could conceivably turn your nose up at Lillard and have the Sixers play better next year without Harden et al., and with whatever other acquisitions they make, and still not be able to get through the Heat in the playoffs, simply because of the addition of Lillard.

[LeonJordanJr24]

I'm not scared of Lillard ..

[Ferry Avenue]

I'm not scared of Lillard ..

I'm not scared of Lillard -- by himself -- either, as I'm certainly not scared of the 2022-2023 Portland Trailblazers.

However, I'm damn sure scared of a Miami Heat team with Butler, Adebayo, and Lillard, when it comes to projecting how the Sixers would play against them in the playoffs.

[Sixteen]

Does anyone expect Miami to be the clear favorite in the east next season? They had a nice run and all but they needed a herculean effort from Jimmy Butler and some injury luck to win the east. They got to the finals and got exposed. I do not see Miami running through the East again, with or without Dame. Sixers were right there....again. They had a chance to end the series in 6 vs a Boston team that probably would have beat Miami had Tatum didn't get hurt on the first play. All this to say, as long as Embiid is on this team, we're going to be contending for the east.

[sixers hoops]

Does anyone expect Miami to be the clear favorite in the east next season? They had a nice run and all but they needed a herculean effort from Jimmy Butler and some injury luck to win the east. They got to the finals and got exposed. I do not see Miami running through the East again, with or without Dame. Sixers were right there....again. They had a chance to end the series in 6 vs a Boston team that probably would have beat Miami had Tatum didn't get hurt on the first play. All this to say, as long as Embiid is on this team, we're going to be contending for the east.

I don’t. I think all of their runs require Jimmy to be so good in late game situations, it doesn’t seem sustainable. The great coaching strategy and defense are obviously huge factors, but they need so much from Jimmy. I bet against them a lot and was wrong, so I’m prob wrong again.

[Ferry Avenue]

Does anyone expect Miami to be the clear favorite in the east next season? They had a nice run and all but they needed a herculean effort from Jimmy Butler and some injury luck to win the east. They got to the finals and got exposed. I do not see Miami running through the East again, with or without Dame. Sixers were right there....again. They had a chance to end the series in 6 vs a Boston team that probably would have beat Miami had Tatum didn't get hurt on the first play. All this to say, as long as Embiid is on this team, we're going to be contending for the east.

As it stands now -- i.e., without Lillard -- the Heat currently have the third-best odds in the East, behind only the two teams they beat in seven-game series in this year's playoffs, without home-court advantage.

[Embiid P]

I just hope that Portland is smart enough to hold onto him until they get a king's ransom from the Heat to the point where they'll be forced to gut their team to acquire him like we would have.

Since they are likely rebuilding anyway, they can afford to simply let Dame sit and pout until they get a deal to their liking.

[Ferry Avenue]

I just hope that Portland is smart enough to hold onto him until they get a king's ransom from the Heat to the point where they'll be forced to gut their team to acquire him like we would have.

Probably not going to happen, as other teams start to diminish what they're willing to offer in light of Lillard's sentiments -- i.e., the opposite of a bidding war.

[Embiid P]

I just hope that Portland is smart enough to hold onto him until they get a king's ransom from the Heat to the point where they'll be forced to gut their team to acquire him like we would have.

Probably not going to happen, as other teams start to diminish what they're willing to offer in light of Lillard's sentiments -- i.e., the opposite of a bidding war.

Since they are clearly rebuilding, they can afford to hold onto Dame and let him sit and pout until they get a deal to their liking.

[Iverson Armband]

Does anyone expect Miami to be the clear favorite in the east next season? They had a nice run and all but they needed a herculean effort from Jimmy Butler and some injury luck to win the east. They got to the finals and got exposed. I do not see Miami running through the East again, with or without Dame. Sixers were right there....again. They had a chance to end the series in 6 vs a Boston team that probably would have beat Miami had Tatum didn't get hurt on the first play. All this to say, as long as Embiid is on this team, we're going to be contending for the east.

Getting bounced in the second round every year is not “contending” for the East.

[Kobblehead]

It's sad that Dame tarnished his whole legacy and made himself a villain after all these years of being a good guy.

[mjkvol]

It's sad that Dame tarnished his whole legacy and made himself a villain after all these years of being a good guy.

It would be nice to see POR stay strong and not cave, but who's going to trade for a guy who is flat out saying he won't play for you? Lillard might always be revered in POR, but he has trashed his rep around the league.