Damian Lillard Has Suitors in Several Sixers Contenders

Several Sixers contenders want to win the Damian Lillard sweepstakes.

The Damian Lillard trade saga started last week, and it seems the conclusion is nowhere in sight. Although the Miami Heat became instant favorites to land the All-Star guard, their lack of desirable offers won’t force the Portland Trail Blazers to make a trade just to get one done.

Currently, Lillard and the Blazers are having a bit of a standoff. Messaging coming from Lillard’s camp is that the veteran All-Star would be disgruntled anywhere but Miami. 

The Blazers, who would want to obviously do right by the guy that’s been the franchise player for them for the last decade, aren’t willing to take less for the player’s satisfaction. After all, Lillard just signed an extension with the Blazers in 2022. 

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Lillard’s rumored unwillingness to play anywhere but Miami hasn’t scared off interested suitors. And at this point, it seems several Eastern Conference contenders remain players in the Lillard sweepstakes.

Boston Celtics

It’s probably safe to say the Boston Celtics are least likely to land Lillard at this time. Since the All-Star publicly made it clear he has no interest in playing for Boston earlier in the offseason, the Celtics’ front office might have a hard time coming together and agreeing that making a franchise-altering move for Lillard after his comments might not be in the best interest for the team long-term. 

Brooklyn Nets

When Damian Lillard attended Game 3 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Nets in Brooklyn during the 2023 NBA Playoffs, plenty of speculation surrounded a potential trade between the Nets and the Blazers. While Lillard was rumored to have an interest in possibly playing for the Nets before, it seems that interest is pretty one-sided at this point. 

Miami Heat

The Heat have to be making calls around the league to get several other teams involved to satisfy the needs of Portland. Lillard could be the star player that helps the Heat get to the finish line and actually cross it, but Lillard’s demands haven’t caused the Blazers’ front office to budge at this time. Judging based on past history in the NBA, the stars typically get what they want in the end. Miami might not have that big offer the Blazers are searching for, but it’s hard not to consider them the favorites to land Lillard.

What About the Sixers?

Aside from reportedly showing interest in Lillard within moments of his trade request going public, the Sixers haven’t made too much progress on the trade front regarding Lillard. At this time, the Sixers don’t seem to be interested in moving on from Tyrese Maxey. For Portland, they probably don’t want to have any discussions with Daryl Morey and the front office unless the emerging young star is in the mix. 

As long as Lillard is showing resistance toward playing for any team other than the Heat, the Sixers should steer clear of trade discussions with the Blazers. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, having a disgruntled All-Star ball-handler has been a common occurrence over the years.

Just two years ago, the Sixers had a holdout in Ben Simmons. Although Philadelphia’s decision to play the waiting game paid off with a trade for the ten-time All-Star James Harden, the Sixers apparently couldn’t keep The Beard happy for too long. After two runs with the Sixers, Harden is the latest guard to request out from Philadelphia. 

Bringing in an already-disgruntled guard to make it three in a row would be a tough look for Philadelphia. As long as Lillard remains firm on his stance, the Sixers are more than likely going to continue to battle against Lillard for years to come — rather than battle with him.