After missing much of the 2021-22 NBA season due to injury, Damian Lillard is preparing for his return to the Blazers‘ lineup next year. However, Portland knows it’s time to help Dame with better weapons.
This offseason, they will beone of the teams to watch as they’re expectedto land a star partner for Lillard after trading CJ McCollum to the Pelicans. That deal could be benefitial, though, as it created a $20.9m trade exception ahead of next season.
That gives the Blazers another way to land a big-name player besides their No. 7 overall pick in the upcoming draft. Of course, they could also explore free agency, but that might be the least likely option for the team.
Rumor: Blazersmore likely to land another star via trade than free agency
The Blazers have different routes to try and help Lillard by signinganother star. But according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report , the team would much rather try and trade for Jerami Grant or OG Anunoby than create cap space to afford free agent Zach LaVine.
(Via Bleacher Report)
“There’s a possibility Portland looks to create cap space to land a maximum-salary free agent such as Zach LaVine, but all indications point to the Blazers guaranteeing Josh Hart’s $12.9 million for next season, which would likely negate a major free-agency signing. The deadline to guarantee Hart is June 25, two days after the NBA draft and nearly a week before free agency begins July 1.
“Picking up Hart’s money would require the Blazers to renounce their rights to free agents Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons in order to still create space for a major free-agent acquisition like LaVine. But Portland’s most likely route to acquiring a splashy counterpart for Lillard is via trade exception, and Anunoby would be a home run addition in that scenario.”
While LaVine could be a very interesting addition, it would also imply to make signifcant changes to the composition of the roster.Only time will tell, but it seems that Grant or Anunoby aremore likely targets for Portland.