Does trading for Lillard make sense for Knicks?
NEW YORK — Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard doesn’t appear to be happy with his situation anymore, and the writing is on the wall for the six-time NBA All-Star and ridiculously clutch performer to request a trade out of Portland.
The Knicks are in dire need of a point guard, as evidenced by the load Derrick Rose had to shoulder due to, well, the ineffectiveness of the other lead guards on the roster.
And they’ve been doing their homework on Lillard’s situation “for weeks now,” according to SNY.
The Knicks front office has proven more competent this past season than possibly all seasons of the prior decade combined. Three heads, however, are greater than two. Let’s help Leon Rose and Walt Perrin with their work.
What would a trade look like?
Here’s what it would take for the Knicks to land Portland’s star guard: Everything.
The Nets gave up Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs and seven years worth of draft assets — three picks and four pick swaps — to land James Harden, a former league MVP who supercharged the Nets’ offense with his incredible playmaking skills.
Lillard doesn’t have an MVP award under his belt, but he’s in the same class as a Harden, as a Kyrie Irving, and as a Steph Curry. He is one of the most elite scoring point guards this league has ever seen.
For that reason, if you’re the Knicks and you want this caliber of player on your team, you’ll have to have a clearance sale at Madison Square Garden: Everything must go.
That includes RJ Barrett. That includes Obi Toppin. Hell, that might even include Mitchell Robinson, because you’ve got to pay to play, and if you don’t make a good enough offer, the Blazers just might deal him elsewhere.
And if he gets dealt elsewhere, there’s a chance you never get him in free agency.
Just ask the Lakers, who never traded for Paul George, banking they could sign him on the open market. And lo and behold, he is now a leader of the Clippers.
What about Lillard’s contract?
Lillard has four more years on his contract worth $176 million. He originally signed a four-year, $196 million deal, but his deal is worth 35% of the salary cap, and salary cap projections decrease due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regardless, Dolla Dame is worth every penny of that contract. At age 30, he averaged 29 points, 7.5 assists and had he shot 0.9% better from 3-point range this season, he would have joined Irving as a new inductee into the 50-40-90 Club.
Next year, Lillard will make $39.3 million. Teams usually have to match a player’s salary with outgoing salary to make a deal work.
But the Knicks have enough cap space to absorb Lillard’s contract whole. It makes them especially attractive because the Blazers don’t have to take back any unwanted players as cap fillers. Maybe that Kristaps Porzingis deal wasn’t such a blunder after all. (OK. It was a blunder. But all is forgotten and forgiven when the Knicks are playing well.)
Does a deal make sense for Knicks?
This is the real question. The Knicks have made a big trade mistake before. They sacrificed all their depth and many draft assets in the middle of the 2011 season to pull off a blockbuster trade for Carmelo Anthony, when they could have waited for him to become a free agent the following summer.
Lillard’s free agency, however, isn’t until 2025. And as good as he is at age 30, the Knicks would be rushing to sign a 35-yearold Lillard, no matter how good he is.
Star players don’t usually become available via trade, and Lillard has long transcended stardom. He is a superstar that could be on the move.
The Trail Blazers would likely much rather trade him to an Eastern Conference team. As good of a package as the Denver Nuggets can put together (a package headlined by Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon) they don’t want to play against Lillard four times each season.
OUT OF THE BOX IDEA
Remember that cap space the Knicks created? Well, here’s a wild scenario: What if they traded for both Dame and CJ McCollum?
The only hefty contract on New York’s books is that of Julius Randle, who is set to make $19.8 million this season. If they renounce some of their free agents and trade all their young players, the Knicks could absorb Lillard and McCollum’s combined $73 million in salary and still be $15 or so million under the salary cap. That would give them space to sign another player to a decent-sized contract, use their mid-level exception, then round the rest of the roster out with guys on veteran’s minimum contracts.
And make no mistake: Guys will take less to play in New York City, especially if Dame is in town.