NBA Rumors: Damian Lillard Interested In Playing With Deandre Ayton

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As the NBA Finals rage on, the Portland Trail Blazers are contemplating ways to bring success to their team next season.

After trading away CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, and Robert Covington, the Blazers essentially reset the roster and wiped the slate clean to build around Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic.

But now, there are rumors that Dame has his eyes on a different star big man: Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns. The 6’11” rim protector would make an ideal pairing next to Lillard, and contract negotiations with Phoenix have fallen apart.

Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer dropped the latest update on the ‘Dunc’d On Basketball podcast.

“He wants the max, he doesn’t want to come down from that. So that’s the case, if one team offers him the max, which I think seems pretty possible… Detroit gets mentioned a lot. Like Portland, it seems like he’s another guy that Dame has interest in playing with. Toronto gets mentioned, San Antonio has been mentioned.”

Damian Lillard hasn’t been hiding his feelings about Ayton. Back in May, he liked a Tweet urging the young big man to join forces with him in Portland. But what would it mean for Lillard, and the Blazers franchise, if Ayton joins the roster?

Despite being benched in Phoenix’s elimination loss, he played well for most of the season, averaging 17.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game on 63% shooting. He was thought to be a core member of the Suns until a few months ago when the front office decided he wasn’t worth a max contract.

Now, his future is up in the air and his services could be had for the right price. If the Blazers chose him over Nurkic, it could help make Portland a dominant force in the West. Either way, GM Joe Cronin has his work cut out for him this summer.

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Nico Martinez is a veteran staff writer for Fadeaway World from Brooklyn, New York. He joined Fadeaway World in 2016 and is currently residing in Columbia, South Carolina. Nico holds a degree in Sports Management from Columbia International University where he built a strong foundation in the inner workings of sports media and management. Nico's contributions have significantly enhanced the credibility and depth of Fadeaway World's content, earning him recognition across the sports journalism community. His work has been discussed in prestigious publications like Sports Illustrated. A dedicated follower of LeBron James, Nico often leads coverage on news related to the basketball star. With nearly a decade of experience in sports journalism, Nico consistently provides comprehensive and timely basketball news, engaging a wide audience of basketball enthusiasts.Nico's most desired player to interview, past or present, is Kevin Durant. He is particularly keen on asking Durant if he has any regrets about his career, especially concerning his departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder, and why he engages so much with fans on social media. 
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