Damian Lillard Trade: Knicks, 76ers, Heat Favored To Land Guard If Blazers Move Superstar

It didn’t take long for trade speculation regarding Damian Lillard to start. In the aftermath of the Portland Trail Blazers’ early playoff exit, NBA teams are reportedly preparing to make offers for the superstar.

Several teams are monitoring the situation in Portland and looking for a chance to engage in trade talks for Lillard, according to The Athletic. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reported that a few playoff teams have already made calls to gauge their interest in moving Lillard.

Lillard can’t be moved until August, and it’s unknown if Portland will even consider trading its best player. But the 30-year-old could find himself in trade rumors for much of the 2021 playoffs and offseason.

Smith mentioned the New York Knicks, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers as teams who believe they have a shot to trade for Lillard. The Knicks are the betting favorites with +250 odds at sportsbetting.ag to acquire Lillard if the Blazers decide to part with the six-time All-Star.

New York is a top candidate to be the next team that trades for a star player. The Knicks had the NBA’s biggest turnaround this season, earning the East’s No. 4 seed. The team was quickly eliminated in the first round and are clearly in need of a No. 1 scoring option.

The Knicks are projected to have more than enough cap space to absorb Lillard’s $39.3 million salary in any trade. With promising young players such as RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and Immanuel Quickley under contract, along with five first-round picks over the next three years, New York has plenty of assets to trade.

The Philadelphia 76ers are second with +275 odds to acquire Lillard in the event that he’s traded. Ben Simmons is viewed as one of the NBA’s top trade assets, potentially putting Philadelphia in the mix for any available superstar.

The 76ers nearly traded Simmons for James Harden in January. If Philadelphia fails to reach the 2021 NBA Finals, it could make sense for the organization to shop Simmons and shake up the roster.

Miami is third with +300 trade odds. The Heat were also linked to Harden and never pulled the trigger on a deal. Miami was swept in the first round of the playoffs following a trip to last year’s Finals.

The Los Angeles Lakers are given +350 trade odds, though it’s difficult to see how they could make a deal work. Los Angeles sent away most of its desirable assets in the trade for Anthony Davis.

The Clippers have +400 odds to trade for Lillard. The Boston Celtics are given +450 odds.

The safest bet is that Lillard will return for his 10th season in Portland. Lillard is under contract for four more seasons with the Blazers.

Lillard is expected to finish in the top-eight in MVP voting for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Lillard averaged 34.3 points and 10.2 assists in the first round as Portland was eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in six games.

Portland has been eliminated in the first round in four of the last five years. The Blazers parted ways with head coach Terry Stotts.