Damian Lillard has been the hottest name on the NBA market since the latter part of the 2022-23 season when he publicly repented the notion of the team tanking for draft stock and made it very clear he would not partake in a rebuild with the franchise. Following the conclusion of the 2023 postseason, the Miami Heat emerged as the preferred destination for the seven-time All-NBA star point guard if he were to leave Portland. After months without updates on the Lillard situation, two days ago, reports surfaced of new traction in a potential trade.
“I’m kind of hearing rumors about another Eastern Conference team that I’m not going to throw out there just yet.”
Marc J Spears of ESPN
Chicago Bulls Have Entered The Running
According to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports, the Chicago Bulls are the “wildcard team getting in the mix.” On a recent podcast discussing the mystery Eastern Conference team that is yet to be named, he mentioned making phone calls that concluded in the Bulls being active in the Lillard madness. Per Neubeck, this would include moving on from two-time All-Star Zach LaVine and building a 2023-24 team around DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and Damian Lillard.
Regardless of additional compensation besides LaVine, this would be a slam-dunk deal for the Bulls. In his tenure with the Bulls, he’s never made it beyond the first round of the NBA Playoffs, only had two All-Star nods, has widely considered one of the least team-friendly contracts in the sport, and is a much less versatile or experienced player than Lillard. LaVine is set to be one of 16 players making $40 million or more this season and has yet to be named to an All-NBA team in his career. Lillard is only making a fraction more money with a monumentally greater resume to stand on and a playoff track record that includes a Conference Finals appearance, eight out of ten of his eligible seasons being on playoff teams, and three Conference Semi-Finals.
The Deal
The main roadblock for Chicago acquiring the Trail Blazers’ superstar is capital, something they don’t have much of. One overpaid NBA star, another NBA star who is entering his age 34 season while demanding a max contract next season, and not much young talent or draft selections to leverage. Portland has made it abundantly clear their demands are high, as they should be for an arguably top-ten player in the league. Whether it’s flipping LaVine for a younger prospect on a cheaper deal or grabbing a haul of draft selections, the Bulls would likely need to do a precursor deal leading into one for Lillard.
At the cost of a mixture of Patrick Williams, Coby White, Dalen Terry, and Zach LaVine, how much should Chicago be willing to fork up for Dame Time in the Windy City? He would be their first All-NBA point guard since Derrick Rose and almost guarantee a playoff appearance each year he’s with the club, given his 80% playoff rate with a much weaker roster and market in Portland. If the Bulls don’t push all of their chips in on the Lillard sweepstakes, do they hold any hope for a roster nearly identical to the one that missed the playoffs a season ago?
