NBA Rumors: This Blazers-Magic trade features Damian Lillard to Orlando https://www.nbaanalysis.net/2021/07/20/nba-rumors-portland-trail-blazers-orlando-magic-trade-damian-lillard/2/ Jim, is this what you were referring to with the Orlando trade? If you are going to reset, that is a LOT of assets coming back. Certainly nothing the talent of Dame, but those draft picks are better than you are going to get from anyone else's future pics and you could get legit impact younger players on cheap contracts. This from USA Today may have already been posted. But if Portland where to do that, I would also move CJ (+ whatever) to Cleveland for Love and the number 3 pick. Love may retire out of that and you would have so much young talent and potential for the future. The likelihood that one of them is as good as Dame is small, but over all you may have a much better team in 3 to 5 years anne's be in a much better cap situation. And they would win as many Western conference final games in the next 5 years as the entire franchise has in the last 20. It would also give this franchise some hope… which is in very short supply right now with the way things are.
Sure, and in 3 to 5 years, when those merry mix of meatheads gets decent, they will move on as well. Lets NOT become the Colorado Rockies. Please.
We are basically irrelevant now. Take a chance at being better. Some people or franchises can deal with changes and moving on. Some can't. This is definitely a 'Who Moved My Cheese' moment. Change inevitable. Might as well embrace it and make the best of moving forward.
Why are we irrelevant as you say? Is it because Portland is seen as the Kabul of America to some. Whether some like it or not, Portland stepped up to the forefront of the Movement. Damage happened, both to property, and Identity. But why shouldn't that play into improving the team. Portland cares about equality, and being progressive on World Issues. This ain't just some apple pie, rainbows, and puppy dog Mayberry RFD. I Feel like Portland matters and it's Players should care that it succeeds, because Portland, the City, wants it's players to succeed, and not just on the court.
Been thinking about the trade with the Knicks. If we can get Barrett, Quickley, and 3 first round picks for Dame, that could free up money to go after another free agent, like DeRozan or John Collins. A lineup of: CJ/Quickley Powell/Simons Barrett/Little/DJJ Collins/RoCo Nurk/Kanter The thing I don't like about that lineup is the lack of a true starting point guard. None of our guards fills that role very well. We may need to trade for a top notch facilitator. With picks and either Quickley or Simons available to trade, we should find someone out there.
Reminds me of the early 80's teams. No Superstar, good players, competitive for a playoff spot, but nothing more. PASS!
sorry to pick on you, but this is an example of a trade, and a result, that makes no sense at all to me. As just about every Dame trade idea does start with this: the Knicks had the 4th best record in the East last year. You put Dame on that team with Randall, and those 3 picks you're coveting will end up being in the 25-30 range. Those picks will be a real shitty return for trading the franchise player. And LOL at having Collins start ahead of RoCo by the way then, you've created the abomination of not having Dame anymore, but still having Olshey running the show, and CJ there to be a world class ball-hog; and somehow you've managed to convince Powell to re-sign after trading Dame. That is a lottery team, but it's a good enough lottery team to not have any chance at a high draft pick. The worst kind of Purgatory the problem with trading Dame is this: no rebuilding team is going to trade for Dame and his supermax contract. It will be a team close to contention which means all the draft pick capital Portland would get will be next to worthless for the first 3-5 years after the trade.
Apparently the above link doesn't work. But here is the listed assets from Greg Patuto NBA Analysis: Orlandto Magic receive: Damian Lillard Portland Trail Blazers receive: Markell Fultz Gary Harris (ending contract) Mo Bamba Cole Anthony 2021 #5 pick 2021 #8 pick 2023 1st round pick 2024 1st round pick (swap) 2025 1st round pick Those picks now are much better than what future picks in almost any scenario will be once Dame would go to another team. If you could get #3/Love from Cleveland for CJ (+), and especially if Love were to retire, you could significantly reset the cap hell Portland is in given the production in terms of post-season wins and you have legitimate talent/assets for the future if done right. Of course, none of those Players is Dame, but Dame + what they have now or what they could get for CJ/Nurk etc, doesn't seem likely to be that contender we/he wants. For Dame, this needed to happen at least a couple of years ago.
not possible due to the simple fact that the magic roster is even worse than ours after the deal. No chance Dame would agree to that.
Not possible? It is completely is possible. Dame doesn't have a 'no-trade' clause. He may not want to go there, but if both teams agreed, he wouldn't have a say.
I didn't either for a very long time; but now I am starting to think that if Neil realizes he can't make a trade with CJ and others going out ,that brings back a difference maker, by the start of free agency on August 2nd, then he needs to trade Lillard ASAP. No sense in dragging it out.
You really think that after all this time, the Blazers would send him to a situation he did not approve? I think that chance is nil. The situation would really have to devolve into something un salvageable.
i mean even James Harden got what he wanted. The only difference here is Dame has 4 yrs left on his deal and has essentially no leverage to strong arm the team into sending him to a team of his choice (by threatening to leave in FA eventually).
Absolutely. If Dame's going to force his way out this offseason, he goes to the team offering the best package. He's not innocent in all of this. He insisted on keeping Stotts and his guys around for years. Declined to heavily recruit other top end players and only just recently changed his mind about winning it all.
My stance is that the org will not do that to him. It could have lasting effects on how agents and players look at Portland in the future.
I guess we're saying different things... "the org" hasn't made one correct decision in quite a few years, so you could well be right in how it actually plays out. From a fan's perspective, however, I don't think it's unfair to want top return back for Dame OR to ask for one more chance to fix things.
