Blazers must make Damian Lillard as key next steps emerge for franchise
The Portland Trail Blazers have been urged to trade Damian Lillard this off-season.
The future of Lillard has been one of the biggest talking points in the early weeks of the NBA off-season. The 32-year-old previously hinted that he could be on the move from Portland in an interview in May, with teams such as the Miami Heat mentioned as possible suitors.
On July 2, it was announced that Lillard had made a formal request to the Blazers to be traded this off-season. This came at the start of free agency, with the team’s general manager, Joe Cronin, confirming the news.
“We have been clear that we want Dame here but he notified us today he wants out and he’d prefer to play someplace else,” said Cronin in a team statement. “What has not changed for us is that we’re committed to winning, and we are going to do what’s best for the team in pursuit of that goal.”
The Blazers have some new recruits for the 2023-24 season, and one of them is Scoot Henderson. The number three overall pick in June’s NBA Draft was one of the biggest prospects this year, along with Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller with the latter being selected by the Charlotte Hornets.
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Henderson played in the first game of the NBA Summer League for the Blazers against the Houston Rockets, where he scored 15 points in 21 minutes before suffering an injury to his right shoulder. As a result, the guard did not play against Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the second game of the competition.
Despite this, NBA analyst Bill Simmons has seen enough to send a message to the Blazers. Simmons believes that the Oregon-based franchise should trade Lillard and build a future around Henderson.
Simmons explained why, after watching Henderson in action, the rookie can star in the NBA and for the Blazers. As a result, Simmons urged for a trade for Lillard to happen.
Scoot Henderson was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the number three overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)“So my plane was late, and we missed the first half (Blazers vs Rockets),” Simmons said on The Bill Simmons podcast.
“Got in for the second half, and he played 10 minutes before he (Henderson) got hurt. I only needed to see four. He’s going to be a star. People can cut this out, they can put it with Titanic music five years from now. I’m going to be right.
“This guy is a star, he has it. I will fight you to the death if you disagree with me," Simmons added, with a laugh. "He has it, he just has it.
“I’ve been watching basketball my whole life, I know who has it and who doesn’t. He has it.”
Simmons added: “The Blazers have to trade Dame (Lillard). Get him out of there and start the new era.
“They (Blazers) hit the jackpot. Two teams passed on this guy: one couldn’t because Wembanyama was there, but the Charlotte thing is going to live in infamy.
“I don’t think Brandon Miller is going to be a bust, but this is going to haunt them. I’m not even predicting it, this is going to be a disaster for Charlotte.”
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