Should Damian Lillard indeed decide to stay with the Portland Trail Blazers in the upcoming season, he will have some reinforcements en route, and it might be either Mikal Bridges, Pascal Siakam, or Jaylen Brown.
Per Blazers reporter Sean Highikin: “I would agree that those (Mikal Bridges, Pascal Siakam, and Jaylen Brown) are the three primary targets for the (Blazers) when it comes to trades involving the third pick, and I think there’s a reasonable chance something gets done involving one of them.”
“I would agree that those (Mikal Bridges, Pascal Siakam and Jaylen Brown) are the three primary targets for the (Blazers) when it comes to trades involving the third pick, and I think there's a reasonable chance something gets done involving one of them.” 👀
– @highkin
(h/t… pic.twitter.com/8Ze0nQXSxO
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 29, 2023
All three players have been linked to the Blazers for some time now. Last year, Lillard name-dropped Bridges. “If I had to say a player right now that I would want to add to our team, I would say somebody like Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby or Jarred Vanderbilt,” he said on ‘The Dave Pasch Podcast’ in September. “Somebody like that. One of those three. I love those three guys.”
Brown is the other name that Lillard apparently has on his list, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer. “I’ll say this, Jaylen Brown is a player that Damian Lillard has had on his list,” the insider said amid rumors of Brown’s summer departure from the Boston Celtics.
It was another analyst Zach Buckley who bought Siakam into the picture. “Portland needs a ton of things to make that [building around Damian Lillard] happen, but more than anything, it needs a true co-star for Lillard. Pascal Siakam, who once co-piloted the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 title run with Kawhi Leonard, could be ideal for the gig,” he wrote in his Bleacher Report column.
For now, it looks like all three are potential targets for the Blazers this summer, and even one of them could help Lilllard as the team’s offensive options — a sore absence that was noticed in their dismal 2022-23 campaign.
CJ McCollum Gets Real On Damian Lillard’s Future In Portland
Damian Lillard’s former teammate, CJ McCollum, was candid when he shared his thoughts on the guard’s future with the Blazers.
“This is me just making a judgment from the sidelines,” McCollum said on The Ryen Rusilo podcast. “It’s not like Dame told me this. I think based on whatever they’re going to be able to do with this coming trade if they’re not able to accomplish something heading towards the direction of winning, the organization may decide.
“‘You know what, we can get a quality haul for him.’ And they move him. If I had to guess, I think the market will dictate the decision. I don’t think it will be like a Dame asking out type of thing.”
For now, much about the Blazers’ offseason plans are pure speculation, but if they are indeed about retaining Lillard, and winning a title, then there are some major offseason moves that need to be made.
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