5 best trade packages for Damian Lillard if he chooses to part ways with the Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard, often regarded as one of the most loyal players in the league, might want to depart from his franchise. After a nine-year run with the Portland Trail Blazers, the sharpshooter might fancy his chances at a title at another club in the NBA. After yet another disappointing end to the NBA playoffs, the Trail Blazers fired their coach Terry Stotts.
Despite a year filled with injuries, Damian Lillard put the team on his back and displayed one of the best clutch shooting seasons ever. He carried the Portland Trail Blazers to the sixth seed in the rugged Western Conference but lost in the first round to the Jamal Murray-less Denver Nuggets. Now it feels like the six-time All-Star has had enough and wants championship-calibre talent around him. The turmoil in the front office might also lead to his departure.
Which trade packages are worth parting ways with Damian Lillard?
It is worth mentioning that Lillard is not a free agent but rather has a massive contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. He tweeted four years ago that he would consider the Utah Jazz or the LA Lakers but since both those teams have limited assets, we can rule them out.
Any team looking to acquire him will need to offer a lavish package to get him. Let's take a look at five such trade packages that might be worthy of Damian Lillard and be of interest to the Trail Blazers.
#1 Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics have just parted ways with Kemba Walker and are in the market for an elite point guard to be paired with their budding superstar Jayson Tatum. Damian Lillard is looking to move on from Portland specifically because he needs a championship-contending roster and Boston might just be the place. They have the perfect second option to pair in Jayson Tatum and have a bunch of other talent.
The Boston Celtics' front office isn't shy of making big moves, as is evident with their Kemba Walker-Al Horford trade. Damian Lillard will finally be playing in a major city and a big market franchise and could be the player that leads them to their 18th title in franchise history. One of the proposed trades would be Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, as well as two first-round picks. The other trades could be Jaylen Brown, Aaron Nesmith and Robert Williams with two first-round picks.
#2 Golden State Warriors
Although unlikely that Damian Lillard would go to a rival team, the best part of this trade is that the Golden State Warriors won't part ways with their core three of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Although Damian Lillard and Curry play the same position, neither of the two can comfortably shift to the shooting guard position with Thompson playing the small forward. Lillard would join the Splash Brothers and possibly become the most lethal distance-shooting team ever.
Damian Lillard is an Oakland native and probably grew up rooting for the Warriors. The San Francisco Chronicle published an article about Lillard uniting with his hometown team. The proposed trade would be Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, the 2021 seventh and 14th pick along with two more conditional first-round picks (possibly 2026 and 2028).