Damian Lillard is done with the Portland Trail Blazers. He has made his intentions clear, he will only go to the Miami Heat. However, Damian Lillard’s trade rumors just won’t die. A 30+ points scorer with an incredible shooting stroke is always going to have an enormous value. Dame’s consistency is a class apart and he may have four to five years of prime left in him. He is a perfect candidate for a team that has a strong base, both as a mentor and as a winning piece. In this vein, a lot of emerging teams may still try to bring him. But will the Guard buzz?

Will this young squad bring in Damian Lillard?

Lillard’s ability to show up big in clutch is handy for a team that has built a solid core. Many times, a young squad struggles to close out games after making the game out of it. Therefore, a player like Dame is perfect in such cases. With him in the mix, the others also get more opportunities to score from multiple areas.

This is why Oklahoma City Thunder, a budding squad, can show an interest in him. They have an incredible backcourt of athletic Shai Gilgeous Alexander who averaged around 30 points a game. Meanwhile, Josh Giddey is developing into an incredible all-around player too. The market of the team is growing, and they are valued at $1.88 billion.

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Lillard can give them much-needed high-volume scoring output. Kansas City Star revealed what SI’s Chris Mannix pondered about the Dame-Thunder situation. Mannix wondered, “If OKC is in the middle of the Western Conference playoff field, would the Thunder consider a move for Lillard? Oklahoma City has the assets Portland is looking for”. He added, “And while most teams have flinched at Lillard’s contract, the Thunder, which would never be able to sign a player of Lillard’s caliber in free agency, may not mind it as much.”

Thunder has collected a ton of first-round draft picks over the years, something which the Trail Blazers have been eyeing. They can package it around a bunch of young players, but will Sam Presti, their GM abandon his patient approach now? As for the Heat, they have some decisions to make too.

Heat and Trail Blazers in the waiting game

The problem with a Lillard trade persists because of the conundrums faced by the Heat and the Trail Blazers. For the Heat, the trade may require a third team because if the asking price is Tyler Herro, then they may flinch.

For the Trail Blazers, they wouldn’t want a slim return for a player in whom they have invested so much for a decade or so. He will enter the third year of his four-year $176 million contract and can command a hefty extension. For now, things are quiet from Lillard camp ever since the league dropped a warning memo.

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It will be interesting to see what paths both teams take, but will Lillard finally budge and opt to go for a young squad? It may not make much sense considering he has immediate championship aspirations.

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