Yahoo Sports Trade rumor rankings: Damian Lillard, Paul George and more
With the free-agent market in the NBA officially opening up tomorrow evening, trade speculation is hitting a fever pitch around the Association as teams look to the trade market for improvements due to how weak the free-agent class is this offseason.
We have already seen big names like Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis get traded and now all eyes turn to Damian Lillard as the potential next big domino to fall.
The Will he? Won’t He? with regard to a potential Lillard trade request appears as real as it’s ever been but still, we’ll have to see it to believe it.
Below, the five players who have appeared most often on our Trade Page over the previous week.
Kyle Lowry (Miami)
After missing on Bradley Beal, the Miami Heat still have Kyle Lowry’s $29.7 million expiring salary on their books to use as trade bait, which they are hoping to dangle in a potential Lillard deal.
There was a stir this week on the Lowry front when it was reported by the Miami Herald that Miami was considering waiving and stretching the final year of Lowry’s salary…
According to two sources, the Heat has been giving thought to potentially using the waive-and-stretch provision on Lowry if Miami is unable to trade him, though a firm decision on that has not been made. That waive-and-stretch mechanism would allocate his remaining cap hit equally over three seasons.
…but cooler heads appeared to prevail, with the same publication reporting yesterday that the Heat had decided against going down that route, with the team now focused on trading Lowry instead:
After considering multiple options with Kyle Lowry, the Heat has decided against one of them: waiving and stretching his contract. The Heat instead is now focused on using his salary in a trade for Damian Lillard or another potential deal, according to a league source. Miami also is comfortable beginning next season with Lowry on the roster if he isn’t traded this summer. More trade opportunities could open before next February’s trade deadline.
Who that might be for reminds up in the air.
Obviously, the Heat are hoping it’s for Lillard but the superstar point guard has yet to even ask for a trade and very well might not. If that were to be the case, Lowry could simply be dealt as a salary dump to another team in order to allow the Heat to lessen their luxury tax burden and re-sign their breakout starter from the playoffs, Gabe Vincent.
For the latest Kyle Lowry trade rumors, click here.
Deandre Ayton (Phoenix)
The scuttle surrounding former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton just won’t go away, with the most recent reporting on the matter from Sports Illustrated stating that the Phoenix Suns want multiple rotation players as their return for an Ayton trade:
Will Deandre Ayton be in the Suns’ opening night lineup? Phoenix has discussed Ayton with several teams over the last week and reportedly nearly had a deal done with Dallas around draft night. The Suns have been seeking multiple rotation players in exchange for Ayton as Phoenix tries to flesh out a top-heavy roster built around Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. While Ayton talks have cooled in the last few days, don’t be surprised if they pick up again over the next few weeks.
What’s more, prior to that, Marc Stein reported that a Dallas Mavericks trade for Ayton, which has been one of his rumored potential landing spots for quite some time now, still cannot be ruled out:
Sources with knowledge of the Phoenix/Dallas trade discussions said a resumption of the Ayton talks could not be ruled out. Trading for Ayton would be a pricey gamble for Dallas, given the years and millions left on the inconsistent big man’s deal, but it’s a gamble that the Mavericks would ultimately be willing to take given their need for a center and the relatively low cost to acquire the player chosen two picks ahead of Luka Dončić at No. 1 overall in 2018. … The Phoenix Suns engaged in advanced discussions to trade former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton to the Dallas Mavericks last week during the NBA Draft before the talks stalled, league sources say. The proposed deal, sources tell The Stein Line, would have sent Ayton to Dallas for Tim Hardaway Jr., Richaun Holmes and JaVale McGee — but the Suns balked at McGee’s inclusion.
That haul of Tim Hardaway Jr., Richaun Holmes and JaVale McGee would have satisfied Phoenix’s want of multiple rotation players for Ayton but apparently, including McGee in the deal – who is signed for two more seasons and has a player option worth $6.0 million in 2024-25 – was too much for the Suns to stomach.
Regardless, considering where Ayton’s value is right now, that package doesn’t sound too bad for the double-double machine. We’ll see if the Suns circle back to it once free agency opens up.
For the latest Deandre Ayton trade rumors, click here.
Tobias Harris (Philadelphia)
Philadelphia 76ers swingman Tobias Harris has found himself named in trade rumors very often – heck, he’s already been on five teams in his career – so it was understandable when the former Tennessee standout finally let loose a bit about always hearing himself mentioned in trade scuttle by fans.
Harris told collected media at a charity event with Fanatics that Sixer fans would trade him “for a Crumbl cookie” while explaining what makes him such an effective player:
Casual Sixers fans, they’ll trade me for a Crumbl Cookie. But at the end of the day, they have to realize that you’re not getting a 6-9 forward back who can damn near shoot 40 percent from 3, guard the other team’s best player, shoot, post up, drive and play 70+ games a year…I believe we have the right talent to be a championship team and we have the right pieces and the right culture. With a new coach, I’m excited for what we’re going to bring to the table.
That hilarious comment came after the Philadelphia Inquirer reported earlier in the week that the Indiana Pacers were interested in trading for Harris around the time of the NBA draft:
The Pacers were interested in acquiring Harris during Thursday’s NBA draft. However, sources said they didn’t have enough assets to acquire him. That probably won’t change, as Harris is scheduled to make $39.2 million in 2023-24, the final season of the five-year, $180 million deal he signed in 2019.
With Harris entering the final year of his deal, Philadelphia might have an easier time trading the versatile swingman if it chooses to go down that route but at the same time, his ability to play off the ball and defend multiple positions could make him a valuable tool as the Sixers look to finally get past the second round of the playoffs in 2023-24.
For the latest Tobias Harris trade rumors, click here.
Paul George (LA Clippers)
Eight-time All-Star Paul George has seen his name pop up a lot in trade rumors this offseason after yet another injury-laden disappointment of a campaign by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Most recently, Howard Beck reported that the Clippers discussed trading George to the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 3 pick in the most recent draft:
They did briefly discuss a swap of Henderson for Paul George, according to a rival executive. “If they really were set on giving up Scoot, they could have gotten a really good return,” said the Western Conference exec. “I just don’t think they were committed enough to do it.”
Beck also shared that Los Angeles is looking to pivot as a franchise this offseason, making George available for trade:
NBA journalist Howard Beck thinks Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George is “certainly available” this offseason. “They’re not trying to give him away, but they are trying to pivot, and they do have, I think, a franchise-wide frustration with the way that this era has gone,” Beck said on Friday’s episode of the FnA podcast with Kevin Figgers and Adam Auslund.
There was also talk of the New York Knicks asking the Clippers about George from the Los Angeles Times:
The Clippers and Knicks have had conversations about a potential trade for wing Paul George, according to people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, talks that were initiated by New York. Though George was an All-Star forward as recently as February, multiple league insiders this week expressed doubts about what return value the team could get for him,
George has two enormously expensive seasons left on his deal, including one with a player option on it worth $48.8 million in 2024-25. Additionally, whoever does consider trading for George is going to have to feel very comfortable with his medicals as he hasn’t crossed the 56-game threshold in any of the past four seasons.
We’ll see what happens with regard to George and the Clippers but the likeliest bet right now is probably that he ends up back with Kawhi Leonard for another go at it in 2023-24.
For the latest Paul George trade rumors, click here.
Damian Lillard (Portland)
We conclude with the hottest big name on the trade market, Lillard.
Rumors surrounding Lillard’s future have been coming in hot and heavy since the Blazers’ season ended and won’t stop until we hear definitively whether or not Lillard is fine with remaining on a rebuilding team or whether he’ll finally – mercifully – request a trade.
We had a bit of a false alarm on the matter earlier in the week when it was reported Lillard and his agent would be meeting with Portland brass to discuss the direction of the team…
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard and his agent Aaron Goodwin are meeting with the team today to discuss the franchise’s direction, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. pic.twitter.com/mUgEDzEbsw
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 26, 2023
…but that concluded with the two sides seemingly agreeing to push their decision down the line.
Afterward, it was reported that Lillard wasn’t happy with the team’s decision not to trade the No. 3 overall pick for a win-now star (via the Oregonian):
The relationship between Damian Lillard and the franchise, according to sources, remains on solid ground but the team’s inability to flip the No. 3 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft into a veteran star didn’t sit well with the franchise point guard. The Blazers could still make key additions during free agency, which begins Friday. Also, the Blazers have remaining assets they could use to acquire a star via trade. However, the No. 3 pick was a huge trade chip that the franchise originally planned to trade. But Cronin said draft night that offers he received from other teams were not good enough to convince him to pass on selecting point guard Scoot Henderson (G League Ignite).
More recently, The Athletic shared that Lillard’s ideal scenario this offseason would see the Blazers re-sign Jerami Grant and sign Draymond Green, the latter of which seems a whole lot more farfetched than the former.
In addition, according to Chris Haynes, a reporter with close ties to Lillard, the Blazers are trying to sell the former Weber State standout that the team is not currently in the midst of a rebuild:
[The Blazers] felt like picking [Scoot Henderson] was better than any other trades that could have been had… They’re trying to sell to Dame that they’re not in a rebuild.”@ChrisBHaynes on Damian Lillard's meeting with the Blazers
(via @BleacherReport)pic.twitter.com/uRlKlsvlWm
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 26, 2023
That’s already a whole lot of smoke on the Lillard front with more surely on the way in the coming days – and maybe even weeks – so just like we said with Beal, if you’re interested in Lillard’s future, we advise you click the following link and bookmark it to stay up to date on the latest on the matter.
For the latest Damian Lillard trade rumors, click here.
