Sports
NBA Rumors: Damian Lillard Trade Resembling Rudy Gobert Haul 'Simply Doesn't Exist' – Bleacher Report
As the wait for a Damian Lillard trade continues, it seems increasingly clear that the Portland Trail Blazers may not get the type of return for arguably the best player in franchise history that fans would expect.
Per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, the type of deal that the Utah Jazz got by sending Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves last offseason “simply doesn’t exist” for the Blazers with Lillard.
It’s not a huge surprise that Portland may have to “settle” on a trade if a deal eventually comes together.
The Gobert trade was widely panned for the Timberwolves as soon as it happened. Minnesota sent four first-round draft picks, a 2026 pick swap and five players, including 2022 first-round pick Walker Kessler, to Utah for the three-time All-Star.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton gave the T-Wolves a D grade for the trade primarily because of the concerns about what the roster around Gobert, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns would look like and how expensive the core group will become soon.
Even though most analysts would argue Lillard is a much better player than Gobert at this point in their careers and he’s capable of taking over games in a way Gobert isn’t, there are plenty of reasons why that kind of offer likely won’t be made to the Blazers.
For starters, Lillard’s camp has been making it clear he only wants to play for the Miami Heat. The Lillard-Heat discussion got so much attention the NBA had to issue a memo to all 30 teams warning that Lillard could be subject to discipline if his camp kept saying he only wants to join the Heat.
If there is only one serious suitor in a trade negotiation, there is no motivation for that team to go all-in with an offer like the Timberwolves did for Gobert.
Another reason the trade return may not be significant is Lillard’s age and salary. It’s not unfair to wonder how much longer he’s going to be a great player. He turned 33 years old on July 15 and has only played 87 games over the past two seasons combined.
Even factoring in the Blazers shut Lillard down late in the 2022-23 season when they were jockeying for lottery position, he’s still at an age when injuries are more likely to keep happening.
Lillard is owed $152.98 million over the next three seasons plus a $63.2 million player option for 2026-27. He’s more than capable of being worth that investment after averaging a career-high 32.2 points per game in 58 starts last season.
But this doesn’t mean that teams will be looking to mortgage their entire future in a smaller point guard entering his age-33 season with 830 games between the regular season and playoffs under his belt.
