Jason Smith: “I would trade Damian Lillard if I were the Blazers. He’s never going to be any hotter than he is now coming off this ‘Mamba Mentality’ run getting 40 every night. He’s never been desired more by other teams more than he is now. Look at what he’s been able to do all by himself. He’s 29 and Portland is going nowhere with a roster that doesn’t compete. The Blazers are forever a 4, 5, or 6 seed at best, who makes it to the second round and then goes home. They got to the West Finals last year but were swept. Even though Lillard has been very loyal to the organization and has never talked about being traded, the Blazers need to trade him. They would get an Anthony Davis type deal for him now. You could remake your entire team to make another run at the Western Conference in a couple years.” (Full Audio at Bottom of Page)
Listen to Jason Smith explain why he thinks the Portland Trail Blazers should trade superstar point guard Damian Lillard, just eight months after signing the five-time All-Star to a supermax extension worth $196 million over four years.
Despite Lillard being one of the most capable scorers in the league, the Blazers have advanced to the Western Conference Finals just once during his 7 full seasons, which included a four-game sweep at the hands of the Warriors in 2019.
Lillard is averaging 24.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.5 assists for his career, but hasn’t been the most efficient player, shooting just .436 from the field in 598 career games, including an ugly .406 in 51 playoff games.
Check out the audio below as Jason details why the 29-year-old Lillard will never have more trade value than he does now, and why he thinks the Blazers could get an ‘Anthony Davis’ type haul back, which netted the New Orleans Pelicans Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first round picks.
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