No matter how many times he reiterates his desire to stay with the Portland Trail Blazers for the entirety of his NBA career, Damian Lillard can’t seem to escape the NBA news cycle or unstoppable trade rumor mill.
His latest appearance was fueled by his public support for Mikal Bridges, including a courtside viewing of one of the Brooklyn Nets playoff games against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Several different narratives have spun out from that Lillard spotting, including implications that he may have been there to try to recruit some of the featured stars including the Sixers’ Joel Embiid and the Nets’ Bridges.
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While it certainly isn’t outside the realm of reality to suggest that Dame would spend a chunk of his offseason trying to convince more talent to join his Blazers, the targeted fanbases of these original rumors have flipped them on their head.
Most notably, a portion of Brooklyn fans has now suggested that Lillard may try to force his way to Brooklyn after seeing him courtside at the Barclays Center. They can’t be blamed for dreaming of a scenario where they get to pair their new young star in Bridges with an All-Time Top-75 player, but the implication that the Nets would be able to land Dame is silly when truly analyzed.
Firstly, while the Nets were able to regain some of their draft capital as part of the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving trades, they still don’t have the ammunition necessary to move for a player of Dame’s esteem.
Secondly, while they have a decent amount of young talent, any suggestion that they’d be able to trade for Lillard without giving up Bridges is naive to say the least.
"People want to connect the dots but there are no dots here, Dame is working on a new album and that's why he was in NY, he also wanted to go to the Knicks-Cavs game but couldn't get him tickets.”
– @ChrisBHaynes on Damian Lillard attending a Nets game
(Via… pic.twitter.com/eIxqjU1JHB
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) April 24, 2023
If Dame were ever to leave Portland — an unrealistic scenario as told by the All-NBA point guard himself — it’d have to be to a situation in which he would think he has a better chance to compete for a title than with his Trail Blazers.
Even if the Nets were able to acquire Lillard without giving up any of their talent, would that make them contenders in an Eastern Conference that features the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers?
A Dame-led Nets team with Mikal Bridges as their second option has an outside shot of making it out of the East at best. When factoring in the package Brooklyn would have to give Portland to land Dame, the entire suggestion seems to be a silly pipe dream.
Devin Booker had 25 points in the 3rd quarter Tuesday against the Clippers.
This is tied for the 2nd-most points in a playoff quarter in the last 25 seasons.
🏀 2001 Allen Iverson, 26 pts (Q4)
🏀 2023 Devin Booker, 25 pts (Q3)
🏀 2019 Damian Lillard, 25 pts (Q3) pic.twitter.com/lmDA0RtAer— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 26, 2023
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| Title: Why Damian Lillard to the Brooklyn Nets is a silly pipe dream
| Author: Andy Quach
| Date: Apr 23, 2022
