Despite he attracted interest from a number of teams around the league, Damian Lillard made clear his desireto stayin Portland. He could have already been gone by now, but it seems that he’s not interested in succeeding anywhere else.
The Blazers, however, have failed to build a powerful teamaround Dame to help him win a highly desiredNBA ring. Even though Lillard seemsconvinced that he still has a lot left in his tank, Father Time will eventually catchup with him,which is what the Blazers should anticipate.
With its current roster, Portland doesn’t seem capable of challenging for a deep playoff run. The best way to maximize on Lillard’s championship window is to bring in another star as soon as possible, which may explain why they’re linked to Zach LaVine.
NBA Rumor: Blazers seen as potential destination forZach LaVine
Following the Bulls‘ elimination from the 2021-22 playoffs, LaVine didn’t rule out neither signing an extensionwith Chicago nor joining another team.“I plan to enjoy free agency. We’re going to have to experience A through Z without making any fast decisions. I think that’s something me and [agent Rich Paul] are going to go through and experience,” LaVine said.
An unrestricted free agent this summer, heis eligible for a five-year, $212.3 million max contract with Bulls but he can also sign with any other team for a four-year, $157 milliondeal.
Talking on his Hoop Collective podcast, Brian Windhorst mentioned he had conversations withleague executives about what could be next for LaVine, revealing that they see Portlandas a possible landing spot for him.
Zach LaVine. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
“Let me just say that as I’ve talked to league executives, when they saw what LaVine said and what they see the Blazers can do, that scenario has popped up,”Windhorst said, via ClutchPoints.
The Blazers, however, would need to free up a lot of space to afford this kind of move. According to Spotrac, Portland could have a maximum cap space of$48.4million this summer as long as they renounce to expensive cap holds like those of Joe Ingles ($19.5m),Jusuf Nurkic ($18m), and Anfernee Simons ($11.8m).
If not, they wouldneed to part ways with Josh Hart, who has a non-guaranteed $13m option for next season, and Eric Bledsoe, with $19.4 million partially guaranteed. While this mightbe the only way to pair Lillard with another star, the question is whether LaVine really is the ideal partnerfor Dame. It will be a long offseason, so we’ll see what directionPortland ultimately takes.
