After they suffered another huge disappointment in the 2021-22 NBA season, Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard is once again expected to be the subject of trade rumors in the 2022 NBA offseason. The Trail Blazers may have said countless times that they have no intention of trading Lillard and undergoing a full-scale rebuild but if they won't show him a clear path to title contention, most people believe that the six-time NBA All-Star may consider finding his way out of Portland this summer.
Warriors Form Superteam With Damian Lillard
Once Lillard expresses his desire to leave, the Trail Blazers would be forced to listen to offers for him on the trade market. One of the most intriguing landing spots for Lillard is his hometown team, the Golden State Warriors. In a recent article, James Piercey of NBA Analysis Network included the Warriors on the list of title contenders that could create a "superteam" by trading for Lillard this summer.
The Warriors may already be considered a serious threat in the Western Conference but if they add Lillard to their core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, Piercey believes that Golden State would become a matchup nightmare to every NBA team next season.
Proposed Warriors-Blazers Blockbuster
Even if he demands a trade, interested teams would still be needing to pay the king's ransom to convince the Trail Blazers to let Lillard go. Luckily for the Warriors, they have a plethora of trade assets that they could use to engage in a blockbuster deal this summer. According to Piercey, the Warriors could offer the Trail Blazers a trade package that includes Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, Moses Moody, and future draft picks in exchange for Lillard.
If the trade becomes a reality, it would help the Warriors and the Trail Blazers in filling up the needs to improve on their roster.
Warriors' Offense Could Become Unstoppable
Lillard would still need to make certain adjustments in his game to make himself fit on a team with multiple All-Stars. However, once he builds chemistry with Curry, Thompson, and Green, the Warriors could become unstoppable on the offensive end of the floor next season. Lillard would give the Warriors a prolific scorer, a great playmaker, and an elite three-point shooter. This season, the 31-year-old superstar averaged 24.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists while shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Trail Blazers Get Ready For Full-Scale Rebuild
The proposed blockbuster deal would be a no-brainer for the Trail Blazers, especially if Lillard is no longer interested in being the face of the franchise. Instead of keeping a disgruntled superstar on their team, the suggested trade would enable them to trade Lillard for three young players in Wiggins, Wiseman, and Moody and future draft assets that they could use to add more talented prospects to their roster.
Wiggins, Wiseman, and Moody could join forces with Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little and form the core of the next title-contending team that the Trail Blazers will try to build in the post-Dame era.
]]>The Inquisitr
