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

[PDXKnight]

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.

That sixers offer looks solid. I’d be very reluctant if not completely turned off from dealing dame to the warriors. Just wouldn’t feel right as a blazers fan helping them become a dynasty again and i’d probably do a slightly lesser offer than to deal him to the bay or the lakers

[soobias]

all i want is young coach-able 2 way players

[Cactus Jack]

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

Care to elaborate?

[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

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

Simmons has roughly 147/4 left on his deal and at 24 is the player he is which is a solid player who in NO's terms
does not move the needle. I do think it possible to spin Simmons onto a third team for perhaps two $17 Million
players however.

I do like a potential Knicks/GSW package assuming the coaching staff is high on either long term potential of
James Wiseman/RJ Barrett. Imagine a GSW deal if they had drafted Lamelo Ball instead of Wiseman? In my mind,
its why I would prefer a Toronto deal for this draft seems to have 5 very solid prospects at the top and one of these
would be available if we got the fourth pick in a Lillard trade for its all about finding which draft proposal yields
ultimately the best player.

I would prefer we move Lillard if we know its unlikely we could build a team that could compete for a title. It
would be a major risk if we pushed all our chips onto the table and come 2024 when Dame/CJ are beginning
to slip, our traded pick ends up being a top 5 pick. That could lead to years of really bad teams.

[monopoman]

I think Simmons for Lillard even with some picks tossed in by Philly is a horrible deal for the Blazers

[BNelley24]

I think Simmons for Lillard even with some picks tossed in by Philly is a horrible deal for the Blazers

Im a 76ers fan, and I think you guys are looking at acquiring Simmons (if Dame requests a deal) the wrong way. It's one of the reasons Houston didn't make a deal with us. Simmons doesn't fit the timeline of a team blowing it up to rebuild. He makes a ton of money and helps enough to hurt your draft position. I think if Dame does request out and 76ers are a requested team I expect any potential deal to be a 3-way where Simmons goes to some 3rd team (Kings, Warriors, etc) and then that team/76ers combine picks/young players to go to Portland. However, even if Portland does acquire Ben, along with picks and lets say Maxey/Thybulle, their goal would be to trade Ben Simmons at some point during the season. So basically youd be getting two really nice young players, picks, and a nice piece to trade to acquire more assets later.

TL/DR People who think the Blazers would trade for Ben Simmons to build around or build for the future is misguided. He'd be used as a trade chip.

FOr example I thought up this deal on the fly: (dont take it serious, just giving you an idea of what Id expect to see in any Dame deal to Philly)

Kings get: Ben Simmons
76ers get: Dame, Covington
Blazers get: Haliburton, Maxey, Thybulle, Buddy Hield (to match salaries and to use as a trade chip later), #9 from Sac, #28 Philly, future draft considerations

Honestly, if I was a Blazers fan I was ready to blow it up this would be the perfect deal for me. You get 2 second year players with a TON of potential with Haliburton/Maxey...Thybulle continues to improve every year, is one of the best defenders in the league, and #9 /28/ future picks is a nice core of picks to use in the future.

Being unbiased, if I was a Blazers fan that would be the type of package I would want. I would then expect to deal CJ somewhere either during this off-season or before the trade deadline to a contender for more young prospects/picks. Then all of a sudden you have a sick core of picks/young players. Will probably suck and get a top 4 pick next year as well. Boom, you're ready to rebuild. Just my 2 cents.

Here in Philly Billy King made a pretty crappy deal when we finally unloaded Iverson. We got 2 picks that I believe were protected (from a good team), Andre Miller, and Joe Smith. Miller actually KILLED us that year by actually helping us win more games than we should have. This was the draft of Kevin Durant and when we traded Iverson we were absolute **** and in the running to get a high lottery pick. Miller joined Iguodala and they managed a meager 35 wins which killed our lottery odds. My point, when you blow it up, blow it up! Get young prospects, picks, and if you have to take any veterans trade them soon after. It's how our process netted us Joel Embiid, Simmons, etc. COuld have been better if Fultz didn't forget how to shoot a basketball.

We'll see what happens, I have an uncle who lives in Oregon would love to visit out there one day. Peace

[monopoman]

I mean if a 3rd team works out for Simmons that is one thing, I really doubt the Blazers take Simmons on and then hope to trade him later.

[DeBlazerRiddem]

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

Care to elaborate?

Vulcan Inc

[The Sebastian Express]

I changed the title to more accurately reflect the situation.

[Cactus Jack]

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

Care to elaborate?

Vulcan Inc

Vulcan didn't even cross my mind initially lol. That makes perfect sense. Thanks.

[b33nine]

I think Simmons for Lillard even with some picks tossed in by Philly is a horrible deal for the Blazers

Im a 76ers fan, and I think you guys are looking at acquiring Simmons (if Dame requests a deal) the wrong way. It's one of the reasons Houston didn't make a deal with us. Simmons doesn't fit the timeline of a team blowing it up to rebuild. He makes a ton of money and helps enough to hurt your draft position. I think if Dame does request out and 76ers are a requested team I expect any potential deal to be a 3-way where Simmons goes to some 3rd team (Kings, Warriors, etc) and then that team/76ers combine picks/young players to go to Portland. However, even if Portland does acquire Ben, along with picks and lets say Maxey/Thybulle, their goal would be to trade Ben Simmons at some point during the season. So basically youd be getting two really nice young players, picks, and a nice piece to trade to acquire more assets later.

TL/DR People who think the Blazers would trade for Ben Simmons to build around or build for the future is misguided. He'd be used as a trade chip.

FOr example I thought up this deal on the fly: (dont take it serious, just giving you an idea of what Id expect to see in any Dame deal to Philly)

Kings get: Ben Simmons
76ers get: Dame, Covington
Blazers get: Haliburton, Maxey, Thybulle, Buddy Hield (to match salaries and to use as a trade chip later), #9 from Sac, #28 Philly, future draft considerations

Honestly, if I was a Blazers fan I was ready to blow it up this would be the perfect deal for me. You get 2 second year players with a TON of potential with Haliburton/Maxey...Thybulle continues to improve every year, is one of the best defenders in the league, and #9 /28/ future picks is a nice core of picks to use in the future.

Being unbiased, if I was a Blazers fan that would be the type of package I would want. I would then expect to deal CJ somewhere either during this off-season or before the trade deadline to a contender for more young prospects/picks. Then all of a sudden you have a sick core of picks/young players. Will probably suck and get a top 4 pick next year as well. Boom, you're ready to rebuild. Just my 2 cents.

Here in Philly Billy King made a pretty crappy deal when we finally unloaded Iverson. We got 2 picks that I believe were protected (from a good team), Andre Miller, and Joe Smith. Miller actually KILLED us that year by actually helping us win more games than we should have. This was the draft of Kevin Durant and when we traded Iverson we were absolute **** and in the running to get a high lottery pick. Miller joined Iguodala and they managed a meager 35 wins which killed our lottery odds. My point, when you blow it up, blow it up! Get young prospects, picks, and if you have to take any veterans trade them soon after. It's how our process netted us Joel Embiid, Simmons, etc. Could have been better if Fultz didn't forget how to shoot a basketball.

We'll see what happens, I have an uncle who lives in Oregon would love to visit out there one day. Peace

I keep seeing here and on reddit where Philly fans are convinced they will have the best package for trading for Dame. While I agree *if* we traded Dame to Philly a 3rd team to move Simmons would probably make the most sense, that makes me think Philly is one of the least likely scenarios that we'd move him to, simply because of how complicated it would be. I think the most likely scenario of us trading with Philly would be to pair Dame and Simmons, and while I understand most Philly fans think that's not fair compensation, I just don't see us being trade partners outside of that (though Chris Haynes suggests we wouldn't even trade CJ for Simmons, which makes me think we'd try to do some crazy S&T of Powell to Philly, which is definitely one of the more absurd trade scenarios I could imagine).
I think if we trade Dame we're going to want either top end draft picks, top end young talent on controlled salaries, or some combination of the two. GSW would seem to fit that bill in a "trade now" scenario. Knicks don't make any sense to me because it'd end up being the Carmelo trade all over again for them. Maybe Pelicans or Toronto if we make a trade that places value strictly on draft picks. I would have to assume that Portland would have and use the leverage they have with how long his contract is in place for to not just take whatever deal they could get from the exact team he wants to be traded to, but that's just my take on the situation. Point being, I see Philly as a trade partner in an attempt to keep Dame happy, not so much in a scenario where we decide to trade him.

[UnFadeable21]

If you were the blazers and you had to trade Dame, would you rather take the Sixers deal Simmons, Maxey and Milton or RJ Barrett, Quickely, Toppin, and Mitchell Robinson from the Knicks?

First round picks included of course. Which group of players would be more appealing? An all star with two young guys or go full rebuild with a young core

[Norm2953]

I would take the trade package that brings back the player that Portland can build their franchise
around. That player is likely in the 2022/23 draft unless they can acquire a top 5 pick in the 21 draft.

All things equal, I would prefer a Toronto package that is centered on the #4 pick in the 2021 draft.
If Portland trades Dame, the quality of those picks coming back from Philly/New York is at best
mid first round. I would prefer a full rebuild if Dame gets dealt for the 2022/23 draft looks to be
solid with the French big the next great player

[GEE]

Why do we have to go the direction of full tear-down, if we are to trade Dame? I just don't see it as the only option. There would certainly be a biding war, depending on how much Olshey wants to please his departing player, being determined by the size of the "list of teams he'd accept a trade to" (deep down, you know it's coming), which to me is laughable because I'd send his ass to Minnesota if they offered the best return.

I guess my point is, if we can make the right trade, why not just hand the PG duties to CJ, backed up by Simons. If Olshey has half a brain, he's already had lots of calls, and likely some offers too, but we will never know what the real offers are for Dame, until it's done.

Dame's value in trade must be sky-high, as he's a huge money maker for any franchise off the court, so the offers should be solid, and plentiful. Again, don't know what's really possible, but I would be trying for teams like the Celtics(Brown +), Philly(Simmons/Harris---Dame/Nurk), NO(???), CHI(Lavine/Vuc---Dame/Nurk).... I'd even ask Lebron if he wants Dame for AD? He might!

[Norm2953]

None of us thinks putting CJ in Lillard's place is a viable option for a status quo. CJ to be sure
would be a better player if given the keys but he's a third option as opposed to Dame who is
a top 10 player.

Likely would happen is a repeat of 2015 but only this time without Dame. Team needs to pickup
draft choices and begin to find a way to add guys they can build around which is why I'd prefer
a trade package built around a top 5 pick in the 2021 draft. I'm less interested in reams of mid
first round picks

[DeBlazerRiddem]

Again, I don't believe Dame is going to force a trade from the Blazers, I think this is all just a level of performance art to put the pressure on Olshey and prove his fans that he is not content with the current situation. At the end of the day I think Lillard will abide by his contract regardless of who holds it.


That said, if he did force a trade from the Blazers, why would a team like Minnesota give up anything for him? Why would Philly even give up Ben Simmons, so they can be a Embiid injury away from Lillard forcing a second trade? You don't give up top dollar for a guy who isn't willing to weather the hard times with you. So the list of teams that Lillard would be happy in don't really have the extra assets to give up a Lillard valued trade package because they would want to be as competitive as possible so Lillard doesn't force a second trade. They can sit back and watch as an unhappy Lillard tanks his value ala Harden until Portland is willing to play ball at the price they can afford to remain a top contender.


Also, the reason why you don't roll out a treadmill team after trading Lillard is because we end up with mediocre picks and a limited ceiling. The most valuable asset we could get back from trading Damian is our own lottery pick. And that we will probably waste in a futile and desperate last minute attempt to keep Lillard.

[DusterBuster]

Again, I don't believe Dame is going to force a trade from the Blazers, I think this is all just a level of performance art to put the pressure on Olshey and prove his fans that he is not content with the current situation. At the end of the day I think Lillard will abide by his contract regardless of who holds it.

I want to believe this, and to a large extent for this season I think you're totally right. I do agree that this summers drama has largely been performative by Dame to put every amount of pressure on Olshey to do something big.

That said... I think after next season, all bets are off. I think part of the performance he's putting on isn't just to put pressure on Olshey to make a big trade this summer, but it's also setting the stage to give himself an off-ramp for a trade demand next summer if the Blazers end up being mediocre/treadmill again.

I still think the Blazers need to try and get Simmons for CJ (I'm purposely ignoring all the Dame for Simmons talk here since that's clearly going nowhere, regardless of what fever-dreams Sixer fans here have). The fit is super sus with him and Dame, but at the end of the day, if the season goes sideways and Dame demands a trade next summer, having Simmons already in the fold is a good piece to rebuild around with whatever Dame brings in return from another squad.

Also, as an aside, Dame is going to get to call his shot for where he wants to play. I can already hear the "but he's under contract, he has to go wherever the Blazers trade him" replies being typed out, so don't bother. He's going to get to pick his team(s) to go to, the Blazers / Olshey will do that for him out of respect, even if they don't technically have to. Anyone believing otherwise is living in fantasyland. Philly has never been mentioned as a potential desired landing spot in connection with Dame, usually, it's; Lakers, Warriors, Jazz, and Heat. Maybe the Sixers make the cut, but at this point, there is no real reason to believe that is the case outside of blind fandom from Philly fan.

[whatchaknow]

I would hate to see dame request a trade though I would understand. I think there is plenty that can happen to turn this team into a contender but I don’t think Olshey has the imagination to make it happen. The bucks made big trades and rolled the dice and the gambles have paid off, don’t think Olshey would ever make a trade like the jrue Holliday trade. So I get it from dames point of view the organization hasn’t tried it all to put a winner around him and mostly just been status quo each offseason.

I just hope Olshey gets canned before dame is moved. I really don’t want him in charge of the package that will most likely rebuild the franchise. With the reports on olsheys feelings towards Portland recently, If he sees the writing on the wall for him and dame, I worry about his motives for a return trade package. Idk hopefully I’m wrong but hard for me to trust that guy

[Epicurus]

Lillard has had a winner around him, but not a championship contender. During his tenure, the status quo has largely been a winning team, but one no of conceivable championship quality. Next season with appreciably better health than this season, the Blazer should win 50-52 games with the same roster. The glass is more than half full, but folks act if it is not filled to the brim, it is empty.

[DusterBuster]

Lillard has had a winner around him, but not a championship contender. During his tenure, the status quo has largely been a winning team, but one no of conceivable championship quality. Next season with appreciably better health than this season, the Blazer should win 50-52 games with the same roster. The glass is more than half full, but folks act if it is not filled to the brim, it is empty.

I'll agree that the future is not set in stone. I think a lot of people are resigning themselves to the worst possible fate... and that could very well come to pass (in fact, I think that's probably a slightly more probably scenario), but it also could end up that with a few bold moves this summer (CJ for some new pieces) and the coaching change could end up with a lot stronger team that we are giving the Blazers credit for. No one would be to blame if they didn't or don't want to believe that to be the case, but my only point is, it's the NBA, who knows what next season will bring.

At the end of the day though, just winning 50 games doesn't cut it anymore. Regular season really is meaningless, it's what the Blazers can do in the post-season that will determine if Dame is still a Blazer this time next year.

I still think the CJ for Simmons deal is the way to go. Make that trade, resign Powell to play his natural SG spot, then get a stretch 4... maybe Love gets a buyout from Cleveland and you can nab him on a vet min deal or bring back Harkless? The resulting roster though is pretty interesting with those moves...

Dame/Simons
Powell/Jones Jr.
Simmons/Little
RoCo/
Nurkic/

It *should be* a night and day difference defensively. That's a squad that should be able to get after it on the defensive end, especially with an overhauled coaching system focused more on defense than outscoring everyone.

Not just that though, if the no-brainer swap of Simmons for CJ gets made, it leaves Portland with more outs should the season go south and the Blazers do end up having to trade Dame. Having Simmons to rebuild as a piece with is better than not having him.