Do the Sixers have what it takes to trade for Damian Lillard?
… no. No, it does not. Lillard would almost certainly exert some level of control over his eventual destination. Like James Harden, and Anthony Davis before him, we would likely get a “list” of preferred landing spots. That list may or may not include Philadelphia (it probably does), and that is step one. Lillard has to want to play with Joel Embiid.
Assuming Lillard does not reject the notion of Philadelphia entirely, then Morey should go all-in. He’s under contract for at least three years, with a fourth-year player option worth $48 million that is hard to turn down. The Sixers would have Lillard and Embiid all but locked in for the duration of their (remaining) prime years.
Do the Sixers have the best trade package for Damian Lillard?
This is a fascinating proposition based on a number of factors. The pool of suitors, should Lillard ask out, is sure to be vast. Even more vast than the pool of suitors for James Harden and Anthony Davis, both of whom had shorter contracts and greater concerns tied to age/injury.
Take, for example, the Boston Celtics. Boston would have liked James Harden, but Jaylen Brown was never on the table. Would Brown be on the table in a Portland deal? If so, it’s hard to imagine a package built around Ben Simmons would trump a package built around Brown given what just unfolded in the playoffs.
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Or, you can look at the New Orleans Pelicans, who are desperate to build a contender around Zion Williamson, lest he also demand a trade. Zion is ready to win basketball games now, and is dangerously close to top-10 status in the NBA. The Pelicans have Brandon Ingram to trade, and a bounty of first-round picks that David Griffin has painstakingly accumulated for this very moment. The irony of multiple superior packages built around Ben Simmons’ fellow 2016 draftees is both humorous and demoralizing.
Speaking of that, the Nuggets could even offer Jamal Murray and picks to pair Lillard with the reigning MVP. Some teams will inevitably balk — what about Bam Adebayo in Miami, or Jrue Holiday in Milwaukee, or Talen Horton-Tucker in LA (a joke) — but expect multiple franchises to throw everything and the kitchen sink at Portland. The Sixers are not alone on an island here.
That said, Ben Simmons does still command value on the trade market, and he’s a 24-year-old with three All-Star appearances and a runner-up finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting on his resume. That’s not nothing. The Sixers can also throw in the likes of Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle, both of whom are special and unique young talents.
For Philadelphia, it would likely take all three — Simmons, Thybulle, and Maxey — along with a plethora of picks to get Lillard in a Sixers uniform. Were I Daryl Morey, that is a no-brainer. You have to do everything to win while Embiid is in his prime. Opportunities like Lillard are not common.