The NY Knicks are linked to yet another superstar and this time its none other than Portland’s Damian Lillard.
Marc Berman of the NY Post recently reported that the Knicks would jump at the occasion to trade for Dame if the opportunity ever were to come about.
"Berman wrote – “If Portland doesn’t get out of the play-in tournament, the loyal Lillard could finally realize things are never going to get rosier in the Rose City. The Blazers have no cap space this summer to add a star.”"
This couldn’t be more true.
I’ve written recently about the idea of Dame joining forces with the Knicks.
Lillard is by far my favorite non-Knicks player in the league. Heck, he’s my favorite player period if I’m being honest.
He’s made yet another All-Star appearance this season (his 4th straight) and is surely going to be in the MVP conversation by the season’s end.
Dame is averaging 28.3 points, 7.5 assists, and shooting 38% from deep on the year.
It’s obvious that Julius Randle is great, but he’s not a #1 on a championship-contending team.
Should the NY Knicks make a trade for Damian Lillard this offseason?
Adding a player of the caliber that is Damian Lillard would help elevate this Knicks’ roster to being a legit player in the East every season moving forward.
"Berman also went on to say – The Knicks have a stock of first-round picks — five over the next three drafts. They have two first-rounders in this draft.Though it’s not likely, the Knicks could have two lottery picks in the draft this July if both they and the Mavericks make the play-in tournament and lose. The Knicks also have the Pistons’ second-rounder in this draft, which could be the 31st-overall pick.On draft night, the Knicks will have trade flexibility because they will still be $13 million under the cap — one factor in their patience at the trade deadline.According to one league executive, the Knicks likely would be willing to trade three or four of their first-rounders in a deal for Lillard if that means they can hold onto Barrett and Obi Toppin."
While I’m glad the Knicks’ current regime values their young assets, if a deal was on the table for Dame and Obi Toppin were required to make the deal work for Portland but the Knicks decided to not pull the trigger, I’d lose all faith in Leon Rose moving forward…contingent on what the rest of the deal looked like of course.
Here’s a deal I would be happy with:
I got a lot of pushback from some readers stating that I was giving up too much for Dame in previous pieces but in all reality, this is the kind of trade that will get a guy like Lillard onto the Knicks.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports recently wrote a piece asking if Damian Lillard fighting the good fight alone in Portland.
I say yes.
That team is in trouble and will likely never be able to pair Dame with the necessary talent to win a title due to being a smaller market.
As much as Dame love’s the city of Portland and reps that team to the death, it would be wise for him to make a move elsewhere as he’s not getting any younger.