The situation with Damian Lillard in Portland seems to take a new shape every day, and why would NBA Draft day be any different.
Teams around the NBA are preparing trade offers for Lillard should the Trail Blazers not trade the No. 3 overall pick, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on Thursday’s “Get Up.”
“Portland isn’t admitting that, but the rest of the league knows it, and they’re preparing their offers for what happens over the next 24 to 72 hours with how Lillard might react to them going forward and making the draft [pick],” Windhorst told host Mike Greenberg.
“[Teams] are already getting ready, waiting for the moment to happen. Whether Lillard makes the move, or the Blazers make the move, nobody seems like they want to be the fall guy.
“Lillard doesn’t want to look like the bad guy. The Blazers are still hoping to convince him to stay, but we’ll see how long they continue with that position.”
Lillard has spent all 11 seasons in Portland, but reports indicate that his time in the Rose City could soon be coming to an end.
During an appearance on SiriusXM, NBA insider Report’s Chris Haynes called this year “probably the most serious approach [Lillard] is probably taking to ultimately decided what he’s going to do.”
The seven-time NBA All-Star has made no secret that he does not want to go through a rebuild, and Portland has looked increasingly likely to use its third overall pick at Thursday’s draft in Brooklyn.
The Trail Blazers are expected to take either Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller with the No. 3 spot if they don’t trade out of the selection.
A Wednesday report indicated that Lillard and Henderson had been in communication since he worked out for Portland and that the Trail Blazers had “shut down” trade calls for their star player.
At least one fan at the NBA Draft was excited over the prospect of trading Lillard and had a “Trade Dame” Blazers jersey already prepared, The Athletic reported.
Thursday should start to bring clarity to the situation.