Would the Pelicans have a path to trade for Blazer guard Damian Lillard?
On Thursday, the Portland Trail Blazers crashed out of the first round of the playoffs at the hands of presumptive MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Following the game, a cryptic Instagram post by Blazers star Damian Lillard led to questions about his future in Portland. Despite establishing himself as one of the premier players in the league, Lillard has been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in five of the last eight seasons. A 2013-14 win over the James Harden and Dwight Howard Rockets featuring Lillards infamous series-winning shot and a six-game series win over the depleted Lob City Clippers in 2015-16 were the only trips to the second round. The lone trip out of the second round came in 2018-19 when Portland avoided both the Warriors and Rockets until the Western Conference finals, where they were promptly swept by Golden State. How long til opportunity meet preparation? following Thursdays loss. While the defending-champion Lakers crashing out of the postseason on the same night took much of the heat off Lillard and Portland, the proposed trade ideas still filtered through social media on Friday. Many included the New Orleans Pelicans. Their treasure trove of draft picks and young players acquired in the trades of Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday have them in prime position to take advantage of a disgruntled superstar wanting out of his current situation. But Lillard is not an average superstar, and his situation isnt normal in the growing world or player empowerment in the NBA. First, Lillard hasnt even begun his four-year, $176 million extension signed in the summer of 2019. That alone drives the price of a potential trade to unprecedented levels. Second, Lillard is a fiercely loyal player. He has never once wavered from his commitment to the Blazers, which is what makes Thursdays first rocking of the ship even more of a story. Lillards loyalty also wouldnt lead to him forcing his way out of his current team like Anthony Davis in New Orleans or James Harden in Houston. There will certainly be changes in Portland, starting with the team parting ways with Terry Stotts on Friday evening. A roster shakeup will follow. Per Yahoo Sports Chris Haynes, Lillard will have a role in the hiring of the coach and likely most of the ensuing decisions. The only way the team would consider moving on from him is if a Godfather offer is made. Its likely theyd want to keep Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson out of any offers. Outside of that, everything else would likely be fair game. Their over two dozen draft picks are attractive on the surface but considering the majority of them are projected to be late first-round picks from Milwaukee and the Lakers, their attractiveness starts to wear off. And, if the team isnt going to include Ingram in the trade, their young players arent all that appealing when packaging them for a player such as Lillard. Its all subjective in the long run as one front office might value the players or picks differently than another. But what would be required to land Lillard, playing at this level with this contract situation, That package likely does not exist in the NBA, giving the Blazers all the leverage in this situation.