Knicks · Damian Lillard Knicks Bound? (page 1)

Simply put, Lillard has not received the help he needs to win a title in this era. As he turns 31 this summer and considering all he’s done for the franchise, a more aggressive, risky approach is needed in order to pair him with another bona fide star.

No one has ever questioned the fight in Lillard. But it is fair to ask if he’s been fighting the good fight alone.

According to one league executive, the Knicks likely would be willing to trade three or four of their first-rounders in a deal for Lillard if that means they can hold onto Barrett and Obi Toppin.

With defensive centre Nerlens Noel playing so effectively, it stands to reason that injured centre Mitchell Robinson could even be made available as a centrepiece with the first-rounders.

The Knicks likely view a trade for Lillard, averaging 28.2 points and 7.4 assists, as being one of the final two pieces to being an Eastern Conference title contender if they don’t lose a core player in the deal

Blah blah blah. How many of these stories are we going to bite on over the last 20 years?

If he wants to come to the Knicks he should make damn sure that the blazers finish above Dallas in the standings

Berman with the bullshit

Panos wrote:Blah blah blah. How many of these stories are we going to bite on over the last 20 years?

media: "Zion will force his way to NY", "Towns will force his way to NY", "Lillard will force his way to NY" -----> <no one comes here> -----> media: "ha ha! Knicks fans need to stop believing stars want to go there!" zzzzzzzzz

Panos wrote:If he wants to come to the Knicks he should make damn sure that the blazers finish above Dallas in the standings

Yeah absolutely! Just think what we would have to give up for him would be way to exuberant. Dame is the man tho...

Knickfury11 wrote:

Panos wrote:If he wants to come to the Knicks he should make damn sure that the blazers finish above Dallas in the standings

Yeah absolutely! Just think what we would have to give up for him would be way to exuberant. Dame is the man tho...

Getting Dame would make be exuberant as long as the price is not way too exorbitant. I would really like to see Dame on the Knicks, but I also really want to watch home-grown talent like Mitch, RJ and IQ grow along with the team's progress. And a package of Obi and Knox plus a couple of first rounders is unlikely to get it done.

smackeddog wrote:

Panos wrote:Blah blah blah. How many of these stories are we going to bite on over the last 20 years?

media: "Zion will force his way to NY", "Towns will force his way to NY", "Lillard will force his way to NY" -----> <no one comes here> -----> media: "ha ha! Knicks fans need to stop believing stars want to go there!" zzzzzzzzz

I think stars want:

1) Big contract
2) Championship team (aka banana boat)
3) Good weather
4) Big market

NY offers 4), cannot offer 3). But only having 4) is not enough, lots of places in the US have 4). So stars will be willing to force their way here whenever we also offer 1) and 2). And if LA, Miami, TX or Phoenix also offer 1) and 2), we will lose out to them since they offer both 3) and 4).

I am convinced that Kyrie and Durant chose to come to Brooklyn not because it is a much cooler place than MSG, but because Dolan balked at giving big money to an injured Durant, and Kyrie did not want to be on his lonely own.

I’m don’t really believe Lillard is leaving Portland. And if he did, I don’t think NY would want to pay the price that other teams would be willing to pay. Not sure 3-4 draft picks for a 31+ year old player is reasonable, but that’s really just a medical review.

My biggest issue is that I believe in this coaching staff’s ability to make players better. It makes you wonder if IQ can be a Lillard in a few more years. Now that I’ve bought in to Barrett and Randle just want to make sure the guys we bring in are hoping this team not taking it over.

I sure fucking hope so... we’re going to need to extend Randle, RJ will get a big deal, so to add a third big star now is critically important

Lillard + Randle + RJ, with Rose off the bench? Yes please

All that said I tend to agree with Panos

Dame is special and perhaps because of our trade capital, excess yoot, and cap space we are in a position because of Randle.
IN the “I TOLD YOU SO” realm, let me repeat a Nalodian statement of the past:

“ Draft a star, Sign one as FA, Trade for one”. Not a prediction by any stretch, just a “Templete” of sorts of how it could work but not when. ITs not special, not a Nostradamus type feel good thing, but just a simple look at a logical process without starphuching mental masterbation. This is all possible because of the timeline accelerated by FA Randle turning into All NBA talent. This was a massive factor.

The question is in the intangibles left over and a bench.

Core of Dame, Barrett and Randle is as good as what Barrett becomes. He becomes he Glue guy.
I have to assume Knox has some value as a low 1st rounder. Maybe. I have to assume IQ is a 8-20 pick of value.
How many first round picks and swaps we talking about for a star at the apex of his prime? I know I can talk myself out of paying prime retail for a 31 year old guard, its a matter of talking myself into it.

Dame has the Jimmy Butler/DRose gene so this might be the first thing that we look at.
His physiology or shall we say his “Basketball age” does matter. Any chronic issues? The back ok? No early stenosis? The knees ok?
We looking at a potential CP3 scenario? Which one BTW? CHronic Clipper or superhuman plant based StateFarm dude?
Then what are we looking like in the aftermath? We keeping DRose off the bench? They play together to finish? We’re is Randle getting the ball. Does OBI flying to the rim factor in all this?

Randle
Obi
Mitch/Noel
Barrett
Lillard

Bench

Rose
Frank.......

IN this scenario Frank becomes a utility player with that improved stroke and defense. Lower the bar here and still think he might not leave puberty until age 25. Low cost dude with many years still in a career. I’m a fan. I’m biased.

Knox....... I can’t imagine him staying but at age 22 he can shoot and fills in the sort of Alec Burks role of offense.
Burks......OK, maybe he stays at a reasonable price.
Bullock....Gone. Not everyone can stay.
Harper, Pinson,.......Maybe Pinson for his personality.

Oh......The Spanish kid? Vildoza. Is he the back up in the instance IQ is traded? What about Portland “WE’d consider trading Dame if this kid can step in as part of a bigger deal, we love him but if you can get him, that would be a piece”. If so brilliant.
Maybe this kid either by staying or as trade bait was a brilliant first round like pick but ready to play kind of brilliant move?
We’ll see.

OBI......I have no fucking idea his value or his upside. Knicks fans love to shit on any pick that does not hype us out in the first half season. We Fitted Knox after his summer league for his HOF jacket then we ready to dump him for coal.

Piece any of this any way you want but Dame should be in the convo. PHX I doubt moves Booker anytime soon. I have no dreams of grandiose proportions to take this starphuch Lillard scenario any further than a convo.

Our FO is not stupid to starphuch without proper support. IM not worried about that. The price for a star like him might be dizzying. I can live with any one but Randle and Barrett and no more than Dallas’ 2 picks and 2 of ours. ONe this year and perhaps one down the road. Its easy to trade picks because if we good they are not good and the short term grab is intense.

Or....Milwaukee falters. I have mentioned this before but the better Randle gets the more palpable him for Giannis can become. The issue is your swapping one for the other and while it maybe an upgrade we are not adhering to the “templet” I outlined. NO doubt we’d have to sweeten the pot for Gianiss with picks or players but rare that bucks can receive an all NBA talent this young in return. No prediction here. Just a convo by a fan. This works if one of our existing talent really steps up to a part of a “Big three”.

It would be beautiful - a team built around Randle/RJ/Dame.

Such a trade is technically possible, especially if Quickley continues to impress AND Dallas freefalls into giving us a lottery pick.

I was driving on I-5 in Wa. state. Saw a truck from Damian Lillard Toyota, Towing a trailer with a new truck. Lillard has put down roots in the area, might want to finish out his career in Portland.

Hard to say how badly Dame wants a ring. Has a great thing going where he is. Im guessing ownership would rather make deals to get Lillard help, than watching him walk.

The crosstown rivalry would be epic.

GustavBahler wrote:

I was driving on I-5 in Wa. state. Saw a truck from Damian Lillard Toyota, Towing a trailer with a new truck. Lillard has put down roots in the area, might want to finish out his career in Portland.

Hard to say how badly Dame wants a ring. Has a great thing going where he is. Im guessing ownership would rather make deals to get Lillard help, than watching him walk.

The crosstown rivalry would be epic.

Karl Malone similar left his dealerships to pursue ring in LA, but that was after his prime.
I agree Dame prefers to stay. But...........

Harden spend 9 years in Hou, just opened a restaurant. Not quite the investment of a Toyota dealer ship.
Hard to know how much Dame owns of it. Lets just say that a graceful exit can always be orchestrated to the mutual benefit of Blazers and his reputation.
Speaking of “templates”, I have often read a good trade is where a team receives the best player from the deal. That is when you reboot. There is a reality where a team can only go so far and before they start to blame the star, perhaps all involved might want this.
Mostly likely not. Just a convo, not trying to pretend to be fanboy with red string putting together a scenario to justify my hopes.

At 31 next season maybe Dame has a good 4-5 years of peek performances to give. That will be the championship window. Are the rest of the team good enough to compete for the championship if the knicks are able to hold on to Julius and RJ? Reggie, burks, Noel, Taj, OBi and DRose?

For the trade, it will probably be IQ, Mitch im hoping its just 3 1st rounders. If this is not enough can the sign both Frank and Knox to include them in the deal?

With this trade the knick will move from one of the youngest teams in the league to middle of the pack. Will trading for Dame be worth it for the cost? What will the outlook for the team be once his game starts to decline? Will the future still be bright?

Does a Big 3 of Randle, RJ and Dame have enough star power and firepower to rival the Nets, 76ers, Lakers of the league?

The week before this story Jonathon Macri and co were talking about Lillard forcing his way to the Knicks on the Knicks film school podcast, and joking that when it became a national story they should be credited (it was purely speculation/half serious, but they were pointing to his links to Johnny Bryant and wondering what the trade price would be etc), then a few days later it becomes a national story and the writers point to his links to Johnny Bryant etc.

This is how ridiculous the whole media spin is:

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Here Rusillo is mocking us for making a player untouchable that we haven't even said is untouchable, for a player that isn't even being traded and for which the Blazers haven't even taken any calls for.

JrZyHuStLa wrote:Simply put, Lillard has not received the help he needs to win a title in this era. As he turns 31 this summer and considering all he’s done for the franchise, a more aggressive, risky approach is needed in order to pair him with another bona fide star.

No one has ever questioned the fight in Lillard. But it is fair to ask if he’s been fighting the good fight alone.

According to one league executive, the Knicks likely would be willing to trade three or four of their first-rounders in a deal for Lillard if that means they can hold onto Barrett and Obi Toppin.

With defensive centre Nerlens Noel playing so effectively, it stands to reason that injured centre Mitchell Robinson could even be made available as a centrepiece with the first-rounders.

The Knicks likely view a trade for Lillard, averaging 28.2 points and 7.4 assists, as being one of the final two pieces to being an Eastern Conference title contender if they don’t lose a core player in the deal

LMAO. Story mentions he has NOBODY in Portland? Nurkic, CJ, Powell are nobody's?

This story came from a guy who's friends with a guy that knows one of the housekeepers of a guy in the Blazers back office. This may replace Bermans LBJ to Knicks article on the ole cork board of Knicks folklore.

Jimbo5 wrote:At 31 next season maybe Dame has a good 4-5 years of peek performances to give.

He's a guard. So excepting a few exceptions it almost definitely not 5 and moist probably not 4.
Most likely 2-3, and smart money is on 2.

He’s 31?

Wow, I thought he was only 26.

It doesn’t feel like he was in the league that long.

The cost for Lillard would be astronomical. I'm assuming all of 2021, all of 2023, pick swaps 2022, 2024,unprotected 2025. I do believe this off-season we have to be aggresive because of the raises coming for Barrett and Randle but he will be to expensive. Thats even if they wanted to trade him.

TPercy wrote:Berman with the bullshit

Even though I like Berman, I would have to agree with you