NBA Trade Rumors: Blazers PG Damian Lillard to Magic?

The Portland Trail Blazers have all eyes on them as trade rumors surround Damian Lillard. Could the Orlando Magic get a piece of the action?

Jeremy Brener | May 25, 2023

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding Damian Lillard's future with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Portland missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year despite Lillard posting his best statistical season at age 32. Lillard has openly stated that he wants the Blazers, who hold the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft, to try and surround him with veteran talent to compete for a championship. And while the Blazers have tried, they ultimately come up short.

This means that the Blazers should at least entertain the idea of starting fresh and ending the Lillard era. Portland and Lillard both want to make it work, but perhaps the All-Star point guard would prefer a trade to a place with greener grass ... like the Orlando Magic.

Bleacher Report suggested that Lillard is the most "ambitious" trade target in the Magic's market.

"Lillard's bonkers shot-making immediately vaults Orlando into a different stratosphere," Bleacher Report writes. "And if he's available, the Magic have the assets to get him. Whether they'll part with them is a different story."

The assets Portland would want in a trade for Lillard? Some combination of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and the team's two lottery picks as starting blocks. Then, the Blazers would likely want a guard like Cole Anthony or Jalen Suggs to be an immediate placeholder for Lillard's absence.

It would take a king's ransom to acquire Lillard, and while the Blazers likely won't trade him, the Magic can't lose anything by simply inquiring about a move.

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Published May 25, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.