As Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard goes through another offseason with his future in question, many fans are wondering if this could be the summer in which he finally lands with a new team.
The veteran’s loyalty to the Blazers is well-documented, but the organization has a lot of work to do in order to build a contending roster around the 32-year-old.
However, one path that is reportedly a “dream scenario” for Lillard is for Portland to re-sign Jerami Grant and add Draymond Green in free agency.
“So, what would it take to convince Lillard that Portland is still the place to be for the rest of his NBA days?” Sam Amick of The Athletic began. “Here’s one solution that is known to be a dream scenario from Lillard’s vantage point: Re-sign forward Jerami Grant and add four-time All-Star/four-time champion Draymond Green in free agency.
“While Golden State is known to be extremely confident about Green re-signing, the price of his return is likely to be a point of contention. Enter the Blazers, who could make Green the unofficial savior in this sensitive Lillard situation while giving him a chance to add to his legacy in a different jersey after 11 seasons with the [Golden State] Warriors. Except for one (massive) problem: As is the case with so many of these scenarios, it would take some serious salary cap wizardry by [Joe] Cronin to make this happen.”
As Amick suggested, this truly is a “dream” scenario, especially from a likelihood standpoint. There are a lot of obstacles standing between Portland and the type of offseason described here.
But it’s hard to fault Lillard for liking the idea, as Grant and Green would be nice pieces for the Blazers to have around moving forward.
The 2022-23 season was Grant’s first with Portland. He averaged 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Green, meanwhile, has spent his entire NBA career with the Warriors. The former Defensive Player of the Year averaged 8.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game this past season while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from deep.
Lillard has reportedly been recruiting free agents to the Blazers, so it’ll be interesting to see if he’s able to convince any key players to join the team. The seven-time All-Star, of course, is still trying to win his first NBA title.
Portland went 33-49 this past season and missed the playoffs. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2021 or won a playoff series since 2019 when the team made the Western Conference Finals.
