Left with no way to exact any vengeance, Damian Lillard found his way out the playoffs via sweep in the first round. Here’s why the Utah Jazz should push for the star point guard via trade.
With the Utah Jazz still fighting their way through their own first round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, it seems like a far cry to even begin thinking of a blockbuster trade that the team could be making sooner than later. While it’s understandable that dealing Lillard wouldn’t just happen over night, this offseason has left the Portland Trail Blazers with plenty to think about.
Despite getting the third seed in the Western Conference behind the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, the Blazers got served in every way imaginable by a pesky New Orleans Pelicans team that was just better in every stride.
The aftermath of the devastating sweep gives room to question the most important thing for Portland moving forward: Is Damian Lillard worth having a do-or-die relationship with no matter what? Lillard has been clear about his intentions and commitment to the city and the franchise, and that’s admirable, but it’s a fair question to ask if the front office is really willing to reciprocate that after all that has happened.
General manager Neil Olshey has publicly stated that the team won’t be irrational in its approach to the summer, but that by no means cancels out a trade possibility that would carry with it heavy consequences and could even change the face of the franchise.
Neil Olshey pledges "to be measured and not overreact" to Blazers' disappointing first-round playoff sweep. His complete Q&A from today's exit interviews: https://t.co/ILPaEjgSh8
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) April 23, 2018
Now that it’s no secret that there will, at the very least, be conversations about what moves to make that include big names on their roster. The followup question is, where to? Thankfully, Damian Lillard responded to a fan on Twitter last June and said that Utah or Los Angeles would be his preferred destination outside of Portland.
Considering that the Lakers are going to have their eyes nowhere near Portland this summer or next — especially since that they’ve already got their future point guard in Lonzo Ball — that leaves a potential door open for the Jazz.
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Donovan Mitchell has put Utah on the map and helped resurrect a team that was 19-28 to the point where they were a win away from being in Portland’s place as the third seed in the Western Conference. Regardless of the eventual outcome of their clash with the Thunder, the Jazz are in a place where the realistic evaluation of their season thus far would result in it being deemed a success.
Knowing Lillard, he’s not going to want to go somewhere that he can’t compete, and knowing the needs that the Jazz have right now, he could take them a step further from how far they’ve already come since losing Gordon Hayward.
With that in mind, imagine this. Utah has enjoyed success from Ricky Rubio and Jae Crowder, but it’s hard to say that it’d rather have them than Damian Lillard if given the chance. The franchise would be smart to put as many talented stars around a young stud like Mitchell if it wants to make sure the team doesn’t lose its flair over one offseason.
Add Lillard to the lineup, and then you have what could be the 2018 Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and you add a talented All-NBA point guard to bring the ball up the floor who could be a tremendous boost to Utah’s offense.
Lillard would join Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles, and possibly Derrick Favors (if the team decides to bring him back) in a well-balanced roster that could be dangerous on both ends.
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That would be one of the deadliest lineups outside of Golden State and Houston, and if that were to happen, trading Rubio, Crowder and whatever else Portland wants to make it work becomes the business part of the NBA. If Rip City actually considers moving on from the Lillard-C.J. McCollum backcourt, it would be Utah’s golden opportunity to be good, possibly great, for the next half decade or more.