Asked on Friday in Tokyo about the Trail Blazers‘ moves in free agency, star point guard Damian Lillard suggested that the team missed out on some of its top targets, as Joe Vardon of The Athletic relays.
“You never know where guys are going to end up and why they go there. You just try to have conversations and convince guys to be a part of our team,” Lillard said. “And obviously, this go around, we weren’t able to go out there and just get some of the guys that we would have liked.
“(So) you go down the list and you go through the guys that are out there that you like who haven’t committed to a team or were a part of your plans in free agency and you get the ones that want to be a part of what you’re doing. And I think that’s what we did.”
The Trail Blazers’ free agent additions include Cody Zeller, Tony Snell, and Ben McLemore. According to Jason Quick of The Athletic, the team also had interest in Nicolas Batum, and made an effort to lure Kelly Oubre to Portland with the taxpayer mid-level exception. Oubre ended up elsewhere even though Damian Lillard made a pitch to him at the end of the regular season.
“It wasn’t anything deep other than ‘Would he be open to it?’ and he said he was,” Lillard told Quick. “I liked Oubre as a complement to other guys I thought we would be able to get. We didn’t get them.”
As Quick outlines, the Blazers’ “real” offseason will begin when Lillard finishes his Olympics run and returns to Portland to evaluate the roster and assess his options. There are three roads the rest of the Blazers’ summer could take, in Quick’s view: Portland convinces Lillard that running it back and being patient is the right approach; the team makes a major trade that changes Lillard’s view of the Blazers’ trajectory; or the All-NBA guard asks to be traded.
Here’s more on the Blazers:
- Quick confirms that the deals Zeller, McLemore, and Snell are signing are all worth the veteran’s minimum. The Blazers still have the taxpayer mid-level exception available, but aren’t aggressively pursuing any players left on the market and will likely hang onto that exception for now, Quick adds.
- The Blazers have 13 players projected for the regular season roster for now. They plan to enter the season with 14, but they’re keeping that 14th spot open for now to maintain flexibility, according to Quick, who notes that the spot may be useful for a trade in which Portland takes back more players than it sends out.
- While CJ McCollum is perhaps the most obvious trade candidate on the Blazers’ roster, it doesn’t sound like he’s being actively shopped, says Quick. Quick isn’t sure whether other teams simply don’t value McCollum like the Blazers do, but says the club won’t move him just to shake up the roster — a deal would have to improve the roster. So far, no opportunities fit that bill.
Everyone knows Lillard wants out. The nba can be such a DIVA league sometimes.
What has Dame done to say he’s a diva?
Maybe he just wants to work somewhere else….don’t have to be in the same place forever….
This is an insane thing to say. No one knows but him.
No more insane than thinking the Warriors’ dynasty is still ongoing.
While I agree that some people are rude on their way out (Harden for ditching his team) (AD for wearing a “that’s all folks shirt”) Dame has done nothing of the likes and hasn’t publicly requested a trade.
Also, if you work for an organization and give your all for 10 years and their was no upward movement (in his case, championship) you would be searching for a way out too.
What’s that? A player says he recruits? When K.AL’s “you” thought only Lebron could do that.
The Blazers are hurting. They’ve done nothing, and even lost feel good story Carmelo Anthony. Spinning their wheels Damian Lillard can’t be happy. Perhaps this is what the Sixers are waiting for, a deadline day or maybe even preseason trade for Damian Lillard via Ben Simmons?
More like McCollum for Simmons, they’re not giving up Lillard for that.
McCollum is trash. No one… Literally no one wants to trade for your overrated garbage. Not for what y’all think he’s worth anyway.
Y’all living in a fantasy world with how much y’all think you can get for him or think how valuable he is.
Dudes a Rockets fan, look at the freakin name.
As far as McCollum I think he’d make a very good starting PG on some teams. He has a history of balling out when Lillard sits.
He’s got limitations on defense for sure, but trash? You have some very high standards. Does this mean you think like 80% of the league is also trash?
He’s not in the top 20%. This is how much he’s overrated. Time to wake up. There’s a reason no one is even calling for CJ. Every rumor you hear is about the Blazers trying to trade CJ for an improvement and being completely turned away.
On what planet is CJ McCollum trash? I swear some of you just hear something and accept it and start passing it around like it’s truth.
23.1 ppg, .458/.402/.812 shooting, 3.9 rpg, 4.7 apg as a shooting guard, 20.8 PER, 0.141 WS/48.
Is he a superstar? No. Is he extremely valuable, especially from the offensive side? Yes.
He’s trash. He has 1 good skill. There’s a lot of players that have that same skill but don’t get the volume that CJ does. He’s overrated.
I’m obviously being hyperbolic when I say trash but he is overrated at least by mostly Portland fans. No one is giving up anything real valuable for him. He’s 30 years old and never made the all stars or has any other achievement. He shouldn’t be making 30+million.
7 assists per 100 possessions, as a secondary playmaker, 23%-6.5% assist-turonver percentage
+4.9 offensive box plus minus
30 years old. Never been an all star. Gets paid like one though. Trash
I think there’s a great possibility we see a 3 team trade before opening night
GSW gets Ben (&maybe Nurk)
Philly Dame
Por- Wiggins + everything under the sun with both teams helping the cause .
There’s just too much too lose for everyone the first 40 games next year to not get it done before the season kicks off
So Portland gets 4 first rounders from both the Warriors and Philly?
Yeah, definitely an emphasis on the “everything under the sun” part … but if Dame requests a trade and there’s a huge number of picks and young players included (Maxey and Kuminga, for starters?) … it’s not insane.
Indeed Dino – The whole enchilada comes over
Hou man- There would be a lotta young players to comb thru as well- Wiseman Kuminga Moody Maxey Thybull etc etc etc – Having 2 teams to chose from helps Por get full value – I posted this elsewhere but they could easily have this young lineup w a whole lot of extra assets/avail money on the side
Pg Maxey
SGPowell
Sf-Moody
Pf- Kuminga
C- Wiseman
+ whatever value you could get for Cov/Cj …or keep Cj with all the open cap
If I’m the warriors I’m getting lillard, not Simmons. Warriors will have the same scoring issues Sixers had in the playoffs with Simmons (tompson’s state remains a question at this point)
The only pro Simmons have is his age, but that’s insignificant to the warriors as lilkard matches curry time line better and they can’t win with Simmons once curry retires anyway
Philly is out then and it never gets done –
I don’t know if GSW has enough for Dame himself in a 1 on 1 trade
I place Bens value as less but Philly aint trading Ben w out Dame so it’s mute
Owners are rich and can afford to overpay, but the problem becomes roster inflexibility not an overdrawn checking account. CJ McCollum (‘s contract) ties up their decision-making and it’s not his fault.
It would be great to see him lead a backcourt… but, he signed big, so is stuck now, like the guy he should have switched with a few years ago, KLove.
Rest of the league calls him CJ MidsCollum or “We have Klay Thompson at home”
Paul Milsap would be an amazing fit for them, in my opinion, if they could somehow get him. RHJ was really good for them in his short time there last year
They’ve really transformed their depth on the wing in the last year. Now they need to add a piece at the 4, besides Nassir Little, and the raw draftee Greg Brown, and using Covington there too often, especially now that Melo is gone. They also still need help defensively at guard, especially someone that can play with Lillard/CJ, a pick and roll defending, rim protecting big, and maybe a floor spacing big.
One thing I wonder about, as I mentioned with the Powell signing, I’m curious to see how they use these guys (the combination of Lillard, CJ, and Powell) moving forward, as I think that even though he provides shooting next to their guards on the wing, and defends, it might make sense to bring someone off the bench b/c he is arguably better with the ball in his hands, and I feel like that was kind of a problem for them at times last year, after the trade especially, but even before that, and they seemed to fit better together when 1 of Lillard or McCollum was out, and a spot up shooter like Trent played next to one of the guards and their defensive wings
Another thing I wonder about, especially after grabbing Cody Zeller, is if they might potentially move Nurkic somewhere for help at the 4/at that guard spot.
I would say Zeller gives them defense they’ve needed there, but Nurkic has actually been good there, outside of certain things. One thing it does, if they move Nurkic, with the addition of Zeller, is replace him with someone that doesmt need the ball in his hands, and still does a lot of the playmaking things Nurkic did.
Only reason I bring it up is the things Nurkic was saying, and their need at those other positions. Also, as I said, there are some benefits in him not taking as many possessions, although that could be solved by just using Nurkic as a primary option in the 2nd unit, especially now that Melo is gone. That would be especially helpful for them in the half court, which has been an issue in the past
Milsap?! Lol Maybe like 2013-2017 Milsap but he’s now a 35 year old backup big.
Well, I couldn’t disagree more, and think he would be a huge addition to multiple teams for what they need
He has been the number 1 person on top of my list for the Heat for a couple of years now, and I’m disappointed they didnt grab hi. This time for sure, but besides them, Portland, Dallas, Minnesota, and Sacramento would all be great fits for him, and there were a couple of other teams that have made other additions to that spot where he would have been a great fit as well
That last part is the reason why McCollum is still on the Blazers.
Nobody values him like they do. Nobody. Probably not even close. Dude is an undersized, 30 year old, never been an all star or anything, 1 trick pony that only knows how to shoot. His defense is trash, he’s not a good passer, not a good rebounder, and even though he puts up 23(?)ppg, he does it strictly shooting because he rarely drives the lane or creates contact.
He actually is a playmaker, and offensively, is in the great category. He is better than glorified names like Lavine and Booker, and somewhat comparable to Bradley Beal…he might not be the best fit with Lillard, b/c of the undersized/defense issue, but to call him trash, as you previously did, is a joke.
Lmfao, no he isn’t, but hey keep thinking that… That’s why you’ll never be able to trade him. Y’all over value the scrub. Good luck with the rebuild after Dame asks out
Lol I dont need to be a Portland fan to know anything about players in this league, when it. It only can be seen by watching them, but the numbers collaborate with what you see…keep thinking of the game by peoples’ names, instead of what they can do, and be surprised when teams like Phoenix get to the finals
*when it not only can be seen…
But Portland gets bounced in the 1st round and that’s with an all world talent in Dame. You mean to tell me they have 2 studs and they still suck that much as a team that Dame is close to asking out? CJ is overrated. How many other teams have 2 legit stars (since you think CJ is a legit star) and consistently get bounced in the 1st round?
They’ve long had issues in the half court offer se. They’ve long had issues defensively. They’ve long had issues with consistency at the wing positions/at the 4. They’ve long had issues guarding the guard position. Having both together may contribute to some of those issues, but they can still get around it by addressing them with the right pieces. They both did better last year when the other one was out, and balancing the floor would definitely be easier if someone came off the bench, but it’s still doable. They have addressed those wing issues. Now they need to add 1 more piece at the 4, and 1 more guy that can guard the guard spot and play with Lillard and/or CJ
Also, superstar and great are different things, but neither of them can just do it by themselves. That’s not how it works. You still need a team around you, and the best teams are the ones with pieces that compliment each other, and hide each other’s deficiencies. Rotations also matter, so that’s 1 area a coach can hurt their team’s chances by not putting their best combinations on the floor against whatever matchup
CJ McCollum isnt trash
Except he shoots/scores at an elite level and despite what you’re saying, he can pass (nearly 5 apg as an SG). You’re just hating and parroting a narrative.
He isn’t a good passer at all. I’m repeating the truth. Y’all can’t accept it but that’s fine. Y’all love him. Y’all keep him. No one else wants him. It doesn’t matter how much y’all talk him up. Other GMs think y’all are delusional. Good luck with the rebuild
You’re not repeating the truth. You’re just hating. I don’t ‘love’ him. I’m a Knicks fan who barely has an opinion about him. His stats don’t lie. His nearly 5 assists per game is upper echelon for shooting guards. Couple that with excellent scoring and shooting. Knock his D all you want, but any team in the league would love him offensively.
“Scoring and shooting”… He scores 1 way… By shooting. He doesn’t do any of the other things good enough to be an excellent scorer. Your argument for him is redundant because you’re trying to make it seem like he does more than I said. He doesn’t. His assists are not a true representation of his passing skills. Dame scores a lot. He’s elite at it. It’s not hard to hand the ball off to a dominant scorer and get an assist
It is pretty surprising that all these years they haven’t gotten another all star to play with Lillard. It’s pretty remarkable actually. Although who the hell would want to move to Portland.
Dame will not win in Philly is clearly not the floor general PG 76ers need… He has to play Inna Big 3 and turn to a role player
I feel bad for Lillard. Portland need to change up the team if they can .don’t know what they can do.
Only way Blazers improve is by a CJ trade. They resigned Powell so he could start. CJ can bring players. So it gives you numbers. Aldridge is out there. And if cleared and healthy. Gives you more depth. Dames window is now. And right now the West is top heavy. So even with a solid trade for CJ. It’s not looking good. The odds are against it. So the next thing is a Dillard trade, right.
Dillard >>> to Sixers
Ben Simmons, Jaden Springer, Shake Milton
I like CJ, I would do this trade if it were 3 years ago. Not today. 3 years ago he was driving more to the basket, a more efficient shooter, and not as banged up. Sixers need a guy that can and will do everything and won’t miss time. Dame misses time each year with something, but the rest of his game is so much better than CJ.
CJ is 6’3, so he’s not really undersized as a combo guard. He isn’t a defensive minded player that’s all. He would be fine on a team with Ben Simmons. That’s the problem in Portland, Dame doesn’t play D either. I think at this point a team like the Spurs would be a good fit, maybe in a 3 team deal. They lack a true scoring option. But as others have said, I don’t see him getting as much of a return as you’d think.
Last chance was to trade him for a Jrue package but NO would have been cold on this one
When is incompetent Olsheys insanity going to stop?!
I just hope the Sixers don’t give up to much for Lillard. I love the fit, a shooting guard with jojo but he plays no defense. I’m thinking Simmons a first and future second.
Yeah, theres no way that’s getting a Dame deal done. It’s fine that’s all you’d like to pay, but that doesn’t mean it would even get you close to acquiring Dame
Sixers could trade their whole team. Just like the NY Knicks and it’s still not enough for Damian Lillard.
Okay let’s start with the fact the Portland Trail Blazers off-season so far receives a grade of an F. They have failed and flunked.
Secondly, the hiring a Gang Rapist for Head Coach lit up a catastrophic trash fire.
Portland has flunked this off season and Neil Olshey is long overdue to be Fired.
None of the players the Trail Blazers brought in can help them do anything. Portland has actually gotten much worse off this off season, so far.
Thirdly, Norman Powell signing was a Good thing. But again the Trail Blazers overpaid for a player as they always do. By paying Powell by roughly $5/million too much per season.
Now Fourth,
CJ McCollum. Is highly overpaid, McCollum isn’t worth anymore than $18/million per season.
If Portland wants to trade McCollum they need to get a package deal for him and Robert Covington.
If the Trail Blazers want to make a trade it should be Pascal Siakam (who is also over paid) and OG Anunoby from Toronto for McCollum, Covington and Elleby. Then by trading the recent low minimum signings (Zeller and Snell) and a future 2nd round to get Gary Trent Jr. back.
Fifth,
Sign Free-Agents:
Lauri Markkanen
Nicolas Batum
Sixth. Losing Carmelo Anthony and Enes Kanter. The Portland Trail Blazers must to replace their size, Anthony’s Offense and Kanter’s Rebounding. These two Free-Agents should do that and should also help the team Defensively.
Cody Zeller and Tony Snell are pointless to have on the roster.
If as the season goes along Ben McLemore and Emmanuel Mudiay, don’t workout. Trade them or waive them.
Seventh:
LaMarcus Aldridge is contimplating returning to the NBA. Portland must bring Aldridge to the Trail Blazers.
Eight.
Kevin Love has said he wants a potential buyout from Cleveland and would want to come Home to Portland. The Trail Blazers then Must invest in Kevin Love.
A roster of.
Nurkic
Siakam
Anunoby
Powell
Lillard
Would be much improved starting lineup.
Bench.
Kevin Love, Lauri Markkanen, LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Derrick Jones Jr., Gary Trent Jr. Ben McLemore, Emmanuel Mudiay.
Markkanen and can learn from both Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge.
This would be mostly an experienced, veteran bench with depth.
Your 14th and 15th players…Simons and Little. To the G-League to join…the younger players and Draft picks going that are at the G-League.
The Portland Trail Blazers can start developing their next line of players.
1. Toronto will not do that trade They are rebuilding.
2. Lauri Markkanen wants a big contract and Portland don’t have cap space for that unless through a sign trade happens which I don’t see happening.
3. Nicolas Batum Already signed with the clippers.
1. Toronto is Portland’s best shot with CJ McCollum trade.
2. Lauri Markkanen doesn’t deserve a big contract. He hasn’t earned it yet.
example: Zach Collins got a big contract at San Antonio and Collins hasn’t earned it yet.
3. Nicolas Batum size would have been a great small forward spot of the bench for the Trail Blazers.
They might be their best shot but that doesn’t mean Toronto would do it… They wouldn’t. CJ, RoCo and Elleby probably couldn’t fetch Siakam by himself let alone OG included. OG definitely wouldn’t be included.
Financially speaking with salaries that is what it would take for the Portland Trail Blazers to get Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. Portland would have to give Toronto McCollum, Covington and Elleby.
For salaries get Trent Jr. the Trail Blazers would have to trade Zeller, Snell and a future 2nd Round Pick.
These players would improve Portland Trail Blazers a lot over what they have now currently.
This roster is worse than last years currently.
The results will prove that.
Billups makes no difference.
You can’t read, can you? I’ll put it another way… THERE’S NO WAY TORONTO WOULD INCLUDE OG IN ANY TRADE INVOLVING CJ FROM PORTLAND. JUST TO GET SIAKAM ALONE, TORONTO WOULD NEED TO PART WITH WHAT YOU OFFERED IF NOT MORE. Honestly Toronto probably wouldn’t want RoCo either, but they’d still would ask for more before they’d trade y’all Siakam.
I said financially speaking with salaries transfers. It would work. Never did I mention it would actually happen. You obviously can not read!! You proved that you are clearly the one who doesn’t know what you are talking about.
I said financially speaking with salaries transfers. It would work. Never did I mention it would happen. You obviously can not read.
Olshey is likely waiting for Lillard to tell him what to do so that “his” moves can’t be blamed for Lillard eventually demanding a trade. If he has ideas, he should implement them. If not, he should resign or be fired. The owner is relatively new and not a basketball person, but I don’t think she needs to be to see what’s going on. She should show this coward the door, or understand that she’ll own this as well.
Don’t believe everything you read.
A GM should know how to make roster moves, trades, acquiring Free-Agents, etc. He shouldn’t need to ask a player who has no experience as an Executive. Olshey has put Portland in it’s worst situation possible in decades. Overpaid players being another awful position.
Jody Allen has been getting advice from Paul Allen’s former college roommate (Bert Kolde) and Bert told Jody to keep Olshey as GM, let Olshey hire Chauncey Billups, keep Lillard, McCollum and Nurkic as the core roster and resign Norman Powell.
Jody Allen is listening to the wrong people (Bert Kolde and Neil Olshey). Two guys who don’t obviously know what the hell they are doing.
Jody Allen needs to sell the team to someone who knows what their doing and who has the passion for the organization, city and team.
Which any of this could…
Push Damian Lillard out of Portland. Causing the Trail Blazers to have to blow up the entire roster and rebuild. Which Lillard said he would not stay on the team for. Jusuf Nurkic also said “If Lillard leaves, I will also request to leave.”
But the Portland Trail Blazers have to be sold to another owner that knows what they are doing.
Your suggestions live in a fantasy land though…
I do agree it kight be time to either explore moving one of their guards, or one of them sacrificing to come off the bench to help balance the floor, but their wing depth is currently exponentially better than it has been in several years. They had some bad luck with Zach Collins, who would have been a great fit for them. They’re not that far away. They just need 1-2 obtainable pieces, and there is still plenty of time left in the offseason
Dame has a pretty good team around him maybe with Billups now they will figure out how to play as a team … i love Dame but he should stop crying and start to play some D and off the ball
I agree they aren’t playing Defense. McCollum and Lillard are ranked as two of the worst Defensive players.
Billups isn’t going to change that.
Damian Lillard also doesn’t have a pretty good team around him. This current roster is worse than last years roster.
Those who disagree. The results will show you that truth.