In the latest round of NBA rumors, the Oklahoma City Thunder could emerge as betting favorites to trade for Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard. At this juncture, Lillard prefers to play for the Miami Heat. However, OKC is loaded.
โIโmma throw a scenario out there, one that is fictional but could be rooted in reality if we look ahead a few months,โ Sports Illustratedโs Chris Mannix said on The Crossovers podcast.
โLetโs say Oklahoma City is gangbusters to start the season. Letโs say they win like 60-something percent of their games through January where theyโre sitting in the third or fourth seed in the Western Conference โ which is not outrageous because, organically theyโre going to grow.โ
According to a few NBA betting sites, the Oklahoma City Thunder hold 16th-ranked odds to win next seasonโs championship in 2024. Nevertheless, sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings.
โChet Holmgren is gonna be really good. Lot of good players in Oklahoma City,โ Mannix added. โLetโs say theyโre sitting there, and Oklahoma City knows they canโt pay all these guys on their roster. Theyโve got a surplus of young talent. Theyโve got a surplus of draft picks.
โWhatโs to stop Sam Presti from saying, โYou know what? Damian Lillardโs got 3.5 years left on his deal. Letโs go get him! Letโs put Lillard in a backcourt with Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] and with Lu Dort as the three man, and letโs see how that works.โ โฆ Personally, I think Shai can defend two guards.
โYou know, if youโre Portland, youโve got to be thinking about that scenario or something like that in the next three or four months. Not like, โLetโs get Lillard off the roster and take whatever Miamiโs going to give.’โ
In other words, itโs only a matter of time.
NBA Rumors: the Oklahoma City Thunder could become the betting favorites to trade for Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard in the future
Additionally, Mannix said on the podcast that Miami could regret the loss of Max Strus and Gabe Vincent if they are unable to trade for Lillard. Strus, 27, agreed to a four-year, $63 million sign-and-trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Plus, Vincent inked a three-year, $33 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason.
Moreover, NBA insider Chris Haynes is in frequent contact with Lillard, and the TNT reporter was asked by Brian Custer in June on Showtimeโs โThe Last Standโ about whether Portland would consider trading the seven-time All-Star to a Western Conference team.
โI do not envision a possibility that he would be traded to a Western Conference team,โ Haynes said. โI think they [the Trail Blazers] respect him enough for what heโs done for the organization. โฆ Nets, Miami, and possibly Philly. But they [the Sixers] donโt have what it takes. Iโll leave it at the Nets and Miami.โ
โThat is already, overnight, one of the most talented rosters in the leagueโ
Letโs get weird: @_JasonLT pitches Damian Lillard to the Thunder pic.twitter.com/qxqm1oHRsT
โ The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) July 12, 2023
Regardless of where Lillard ends up next, heโs owed $216.2 million over the next four seasons. Likewise, the 11-year veteran is slated to earn $45.64 million in 2023-24. Furthermore, his salary will also climb to $63.2 million by 2026-27.
In 58 starts with the Trail Blazers in the 2022-23 season, Lillard averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game, along with 4.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 36.3 minutes per game. Not to mention, he shot a career-high-tying 46.3% from the floor and 37.1% outside the arc.
Equally important, would Lillard be up to playing in OKC? As a result, would the Thunder have to tear their roster to smithereens? These questions have to be running through the mind of Presti. Above all else, it might not be worth it in the end.
Meanwhile, quite a few Thunder fans would appreciate a trade for Lillard.
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