There has been no forward momentum on the Damian Lillard front, ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks said on the latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast (YouTube link). The Trail Blazers guard requested a trade over two months ago, but the team doesn’t seem any closer to making a deal today than it was at the start of July.
“I’ve heard there’s been nothing. No meaningful dialogue at all,” Lowe said. “More pointedly… I just don’t think there’s been another team. If there is, I don’t know about it. That could very well the case, I may not know. But I have not heard of any other team that has really dove head-long – or even halfway – into the Dame Lillard sweepstakes.”
Marks also hasn’t heard any rumblings about any team besides the Heat that’s prepared to make a run at Lillard, and agreed that Portland and Miami don’t appear to have had substantial discussions or made any progress toward a deal.
“It’s been very quiet, certainly, from the Miami front,” Marks said. “I think the only way we hear more about Dame is if Dame makes it messy. And I don’t think Damian Lillard right now is willing to make it messy in Portland.”
Here are a few more highlights from The Lowe Post:
- As is the case with the Heat and Lillard, the Clippers still appear to be the only viable suitor for Sixers guard James Harden, according to Lowe. “I know that Howard Beck and others have stated that there may be two or three other teams that have been sniffing, investigating,” Lowe said. “Certainly, if you talk to the Sixers, they have reason to say, “Oh, there’s a broad, frothy James Harden market out there.’ I really don’t think there is. I think it’s been mostly the Clippers.” However, Lowe added that the teams haven’t had “a whole lot of dialogue” in the last couple months.
- While there has been some skepticism that the Clippers are able to offer the sort of package that would appeal to the Sixers for Harden, Lowe believes that Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia front office would be willing to pull the trigger if Los Angeles made the right draft assets available, since those could be flipped for an impact player. “If the Clippers were to put both (of their tradable) first-round picks in, even without (Terance Mann), I think there’s a two-team deal that exists that the Sixers would do,” Lowe said. “I don’t think the two teams have been anywhere close to any of that kind of deal, which is why I think the only play I see for the Sixers here is bring him to camp, hope…he plays pretty well, and the Clippers and some other teams with high expectations sputter over their first 20 games and get desperate.”
- Lowe suggests he wouldn’t be surprised if the Raptors make some sort of move in the next six weeks, noting that the team still has multiple key players entering contract years (including Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby) and has yet to complete an extension for Gary Trent Jr. that was rumored to be close back in June. “A lot of balls in the air for the Raptors,” Lowe said.
- Marks and Lowe both believe that the Bucks‘ handling of Jrue Holiday‘s contract situation when he becomes extension-eligible in February could be a crucial domino that affects Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s future. Holiday can opt out of his current contract and become a free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign a new deal before then.
Haha, Portland is turning into a joke.
How? By not bowing down to Dame and his demands? By not accepting weak offers for Dame? The Blazers have done the right thing.
What other options do they have?
You’re literally watching what other options they have. They signed him to an extension and have no concerns with him playing out his contract in Portland.
How does him playing out his contract help them?
How does him not playing it out help them? They can’t get anything worthwhile for him. So it’s just a big shrug emoji as far as they’re concerned.
As a Heat fan, I have continued to say I dont even think they should trade him, as well as I dont want to trade for him b/c it makes no sense
Portland’s best course of action is hope someone somehow takes Simons, and to use him off the bench until then
Lillard, Scoot, Sharpe, Murray/Jabari Walker, Grant
Nurkic, Thybulle/Rupert/Keon Johnson, Simons, Little/Walker/Murray, Rupert
They could use a floor spacing big
Lillard gave them 11 seasons, the Blazers need to rebuild and they took steps to start one. Dame’s 33 years old, he doesn’t have time for a rebuild. The Blazers need to trade him for a decent package then move on.
If he stays there’s no way they’re playing Henderson, Sharpe or Simons in front of him then he in turn takes minutes away from the kids you just invested draft picks and money into.
How is 3 or 4 firsts and jovik for a player who will be 36 at the end of the deal making 63M “ Bowing Down?”
You must be new to the NBA. They also have to match salary, and all Miami has are guys on long term deals the Blazers (wisely) don’t want. The firsts are useless. Worse than high 2nds and are far out. And the Heat are not offering Jovic by all accounts.
You must be new to having normal conversation. People know you have to match contracts. But people don’t feel like spelling out every little detail and rather focus on the attractive parts of the deal
Just need to throw in Lowry, Robinson, Jaquez Jr and Jovic along with 3 picks. The only undesirable contract is Robinson but he’s cheaper than Dame over the next three seasons and they have to pay someone. Lowry is on an expiring and might even net a pick to a PG needy playoff bound team if traded at the right time.
Even if they take Jovic out that’s 3 1sts, a prospect and an expiring contract. That should be more than adequate for a 33 year old PG that is owed a massive contract and will be on the decline by the time the Blazers are any good again.
Rofl at that amount for anyone not named a specific extremely few people in the league, especially not a guard
The Heat dont need Lillard, especially not for an exponentially significant overpay
The real issue is they’re stuck with Simons, so even though they would prefer Herro to Simons, having both makes zero sense
No one is taking Harden. There is no market for him. And the Clippers aren’t giving up two picks for him. He doesn’t want to play in Philly. So it’s either the Clipper offer. Or Sixers implode this yr. Why Moreyon is still here. Is incredible in it self. This is the clown that brought Harden here. What Sixers should do. Is make Clippers take Tucker too. Move on already.
In spite of your juvenile take on the sixers,your still starless and poorly run knickerbockers are a play in team who will finish close to 500 and far behind the the number 3 seed sixers. With or without Harden.
I have no dog in the fight but it’s kinda funny when you lead with “In spite of your juvenile take” then mention how the Knicks are poorly ran, have no stars and are a play-in team.
I won’t argue that the Knicks were poorly run before the Leon Rose era but in the Embiid era the 76ers haven’t exactly been the epitome of a well run franchise.
They brought Hinke and he tore up the team so they could tank for picks. Out of all those picks they hit twice with Embiid and Simmons. They traded the rights to Tatum for Fultz. They ran Simmons and Butler out out of town and noeHarden wants out of town.
They also gave a king’s ransom to Tobias Harris. They replaced Hinkie with Coangelo, fired him for Brand then brought in Hinkie’s mentor because Brand needed help.
They’re now on their 3rd head coach in 9 seasons and haven’t mase it past the 2nd round in that same time span.
If the 76ers pull the trigger on the Harden trade then they’ll have exactly the same amount of “stars” as the Knicks because last I checked Randle is a two time All-Star and two time All NBA.
Maxey is a great talent and ready to step up to the number two option but unless they get a hell of a haul for Harden or talk him into staying they aren’t going to be much better than the Knicks next season.
You forgot to mention young players they lost for nothing, pieces they’ve needed, b/c Doc Rivers doesnt know who plays on his own team
POR put out its parameters for a Lillard trade, and, apparently, no team has given the kind of response consistent with moving on to trade discussions. Standard. POR isn’t the one trying to reinvent the wheel, MIA is (treating this like a S&T, as if Lillard were a FA that picked them).
LAC giving up 2 FRPs for Harden? I’ll believe it when it happens, not until. Nobody’s that desperate.
Holiday should be signed and retire as a Buck. Bucks have a strong shot at a chip this yr. Then Middleton is getting older. Lopez is getting older. At some point Bucks will have to retool. I’d say just focus on getting this one this yr.
Holiday has already publicly stated he wants to retire after his current contract is up. So the Bucks will have to find his replacement sooner than later.
I think both Portland and Philly overestimated the potential market for Lillard and Harden. It isn’t just about what you want. It’s also about what is the best, REALISTIC, return you can actually get in the real world market.
We all want to be trillionaires with virgin hot wives, kids that are perfect, no worries of any kind, and live in the prefect places with 100% happiness. But…there’s this thing called reality. We have to live in reality and make decisions accordingly. That’s where this is with Portland and Philly. Otherwise they both will learn the next thing that this may be moving toward…those that want all and nothing else, lose all and gain nothing. Father Time is digging into Lillard and Harden. The longer this goes, it does not favor Portland or Philly…especially if you get disgruntled players that come in, and at their ages, risk injury.