What a 3-team Lillard trade could look like
The Portland Trail Blazers have a number of suitors for Damian Lillard, but many of those teams are reluctant to blow Portland away because of Lillard’s stated focus on the Miami Heat. The problem for the Heat, however, is that a major part of their trade package is Tyler Herro, a player the guard-flush Blazers have little interest in.
To get a deal done, therefore, the Heat need someone interested in trading for Tyler Herro and sending back a draft pick or two. The Knicks have a few extra picks at their disposal and could raise their hand to be the helping hand for a Lillard trade. Here’s what it could look like:
The Miami Heat land their guy, getting Damian Lillard to pair with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. In this construction, they retain much of their rotation as well, with Duncan Robinson and Caleb Martin still in place to fill out the starting lineup. Taking on Evan Fournier is the price of doing business here.
The Trail Blazers get two recent first-round picks in Jaime Jaquez and Nikola Jovic, with two picks coming from Miami and two from the Knicks. In New York’s case, they will send the 2024 picks from Dallas and Washington; a rebuilding team like Portland is better served by a pick that will likely roll out into the future a few years, as the Washington pick will. Isaiah Hartenstein is a passable starting center, and Kyle Lowry is on an expiring deal and is a prime candidate to be waived.
If this is enough of a return for Portland to say yes, the question swings to the Knicks. Would New York say yes to this deal?