New York Knicks Receive: G Damian Lillard, POR 2022 2nd Round Pick (Protected Top-45), ATL 2024 2nd Round Pick (Protected Top-55, via POR)
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: G/F Evan Fournier, G Alec Burks, F Obi Toppin, NYK 2022 1st Round Pick (Unprotected), NYK 2023 1st Round Pick (Swap, More Favorable to POR), NYK 2024 1st Round Pick (Unprotected), NYK 2025 1st Round Pick (Swap, More Favorable to POR), NYK 2026 1st Round Pick (Unprotected)
Assuming Damian Lillard becomes available at the trade deadline, it seems almost certain that multiple teams would be involved in this kind of trade, especially since Damian Lillard’s contract for this season is just under $40M, but let’s just assume the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers are the only teams involved in this deal.
Who knows if Lillard would even request a trade midseason, but hypothetically speaking, the Knicks would surely be able to put together an intriguing trade package for him if he did.
Evan Fournier and Alec Burks are both guys who can produce immediately and contribute to a team like the Portland Trail Blazers and Obi Toppin is a young player they should be interested in adding to their frontcourt.
Moving Lillard in this deal would leave Portland with C.J. McCollum, Norman Powell, Robert Covington, Jusef Nurkic, Evan Fournier and Alec Burks as their primary contributors, which is not a terrible team. They could still earn a playoff spot, but much like with Dame now, they are nothing more than a team who could reach the Western Conference Semifinals at best.
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Adding Damian Lillard to the Knicks roster immediately elevates them from being a playoff threat to a legit title contender, especially since they would have a ton of All-Star talent in Julius Randle, Kemba Walker, Damian Lillard and potentially even R.J. Barrett, who is a young player on the rise.
The Knicks are just one superstar talent away from being something very special in this league and bringing Damian Lillard to the bright lights of Madison Square Garden could surely change the trajectory of the NBA for many years to come.
