Does this trade make sense for Portland Trail Blazers?
If Damian Lillard cannot win in Portland, a team that has barely advanced in the playoffs year after year, why would he all of a sudden make a difference in New York, where they have made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2013? Well, the New York Knicks actually have a ton of talented players that would assist Lillard, whereas Portland only has C.J. McCollum.
Norman Powell, Robert Covington, and Jusef Nurkic are all solid players and solid complementary scorers to Lillard and McCollum, but none of these three guys are really championship-caliber players. They cannot elevate their play to help this team win a title, which is why the Blazers really have no shot at making the Western Conference Finals this season.
They have not made the moves necessary to make their organization a true threat in the Western Conference, which is likely why they will be losing Damian Lillard within the next year or so.
Lillard loves Portland and wants to remain there throughout his entire career, winning is what all of these top-tier players strive for and Dame knows contending or a championship is not going to happen where he is right now.
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As a result, it is very likely that he will request a trade either this season or next offseason, especially if Portland shows no signs of improvement to the point where they can contend with the likes of the Lakers, Suns, Clippers, and Warriors in the Western Conference.
They have a good team this year, but it is not a great team, which has been the narrative for the Portland Trail Blazers over the last decade or so.
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Trading Damian Lillard does not make sense at all for the Blazers, but if he requests a trade to a specific team, they will not really have much of a choice other than to grant him his wish and take back as many assets as they can to try and rebuild quickly.
