NBA insider Marc Stein reports that more noise is coming from Toronto as the Blazers try to complete a deal with Lillard before training camp.
The Portland Trail Blazers host NBA Media Day in just over a week on October 2, and the Damian Lillard trade saga remains unfinished.
However, Portland is working hard to get a deal done before the big press event in an effort to avoid the awkward elephant in the room and move into the season without distractions, according to Marc Stein in his latest report for The Stein Line [subscription required].
Only the Blazers know if they consider the start of training camp to be an absolute organizational deadline, but the league-wide belief is that they won’t be talking to as many teams as they know in the bag. -oh days without them. serious about wanting to get a deal done before the season starts.
Among the franchises emerging from the trade chatter, Stein reports several teams around the league are considering Toronto Raptors has “genuine” interest in acquiring the seven-time NBA All-Star point guard. How willing Toronto is to push its chips for Lillard may be tempered by Lillard’s reported lack of interest in playing for the organization, Stein said.
The Toronto Raptors have convinced several teams around the league that their interest in trading for Lillard is genuine.
The uncertainty at this point is more based on evaluating Toronto’s true willingness to push forward in its pursuit of Lillard when it is believed that the All-Star guard, behind the scenes, remains less resistant to idea to be a Raptor.
Parallels can be drawn to Toronto’s 2018 swing to trade Kawhi Leonard and a surprising move to land Lillard this off-season. Leonard’s gamble famously resulted in a championship, but Stein said there are big differences that make a Lillard transaction more risky. For one, Toronto had a better all-around roster when it traded for Leonard. Second, Leonard only has one season left on his contract and there is no reported one-team demand like Lillard, who has four seasons left on his contract and is reportedly looking at the Miami Heat.
Do the Raptors really want to trade the expensive Lillard, at age 33, if he doesn’t want to play for them?
If the Blazers can’t find mutual ground on a trade with Toronto, Miami or any other team soon, Stein suggested they simply skip their unofficial pre-season deadline. Stein said waiting is smarter than settling for a flawed deal in the name of change.
A strong case could be made that Lillard is too good, too important to the franchise and the community and too difficult to replace on too many levels for Portland to rush the process now…time with Lillard still on roster and dealing with the various disruptions that may cause.
It’s shaping up to be an important and busy eight days leading up to Media Day in Rip City, whichever way Portland goes.
Read more