Damian Lillard requesting a trade away from the Portland Trail Blazers sent shockwaves around the league over the weekend. The Philadelphia 76ers were quickly mentioned by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski as one of the three teams interested in exploring a trade for Lillard.
The Sixers should absolutely be interested in attempting to acquire Lillard from Portland. The 7-time All-Star is coming off a career year last season. He scored 32.2 points per game on 46.3% shooting from the field and 37.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Lillard would be an excellent fit playing next to last year’s MVP Joel Embiid. The pairing would surely form one of the most dominant duos in the entire league.
However, there are a pair of issues standing in the way of any potential trade sending Lillard to Philadelphia. The first impediment is Lillard reportedly has his mind set on forcing his way to the Miami Heat. However, Miami does not possess a strong trade package for Lillard. The top player the Heat reportedly made available in the trade talks for Lillard is Tyler Herro. The Trail Blazers, with the young trio of Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe at guard, reportedly do not have interest in acquiring Herro. In regards to draft pick compensation, the earliest first-round pick the Heat can give up is in 2027. This is due to the Stepien Rule which states NBA teams cannot go without a first-round pick in consecutive drafts.
Lillard might be attempting to force his way to Miami. However, Portland’s front office expressed a willingness to find the best offer regardless of which team it comes from.
The Trail Blazers do not plan to cooperate with Damian Lillard on his trade request to the Heat, per @wojespn:
– Portland “open for business everywhere in the league” on trading Lillard.
– Blazers seeking a combination of young players, draft picks and cap relief.
– Miami has… pic.twitter.com/n7y8PtaCgo
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 2, 2023
The second thing standing in the way of Lillard coming to Philadelphia is the Sixers’ inability or unwillingness to put together a serious offer. Outside of Embiid, who presumably is not on the table in any trade talks, the Sixers have just one player who intrigues Portland: Tyrese Maxey. The 22-year-old guard averaged 20.3 points last season while finishing fifth in the league in 3-point percentage (43.4).
There has been a ton of noise in recent days regarding Maxey’s future. Despite the Sixers not planning to offer Maxey a contract extension this offseason, the organization still says they view him as a core piece of the roster. There was some speculation about the reasoning behind waiting to offer Maxey an extension until next offseason. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on Friday `it was “because they might trade him.” On Monday, Windhorst went on his podcast “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” and seemingly walked back his prior comments about Maxey’s availability.
“Prime Michael Jordan is available? Don’t call. 25-year-old LeBron James is available? Lose our number. Giannis Antetokounmpo says, ‘I want to be a Sixer.’ If Tyrese Maxey is the ask, just keep walking.”
Brian Windhorst on the Hoop Collectivepic.twitter.com/dIbIWRUaoz
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) July 3, 2023
Windhorst then went on SportsCenter later Monday afternoon to further discuss his earlier comments. He said there was a good chance Lillard would already be in Philadelphia if the Sixers had made Maxey available. “I think of the available pieces that you see out there on the board, that could be offered for Dame Lillard, I think Maxey is the prime piece. And again, if Philadelphia was making that offer, Dame Lillard might be in Philly right now, but they are not.”
Actual quote is less definitive, but still very relevant.
“Of the available pieces that … could be offered for Dame Lillard, I think Maxey is the prime piece. And again, if Philadelphia was making that offer, Dame Lillard might be in Philly right now. But they are not.” https://t.co/IdgQjShEMP pic.twitter.com/XvDtNIo4LO
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) July 3, 2023
Should the Sixers be willing to put Maxey on the table in a trade for Lillard? As Windhorst said, Maxey could be the piece to get a Lillard trade done. However, as things currently stand the Sixers have not been willing to part with their young guard. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports also reported over the weekend the Sixers “have no interest in putting Maxey in any trade conversation.”
Are the Sixers correct in taking in that stance? Maxey is an immensely talented player who has likely not yet hit his ceiling. At 22 years old, he is also the team’s best and only valuable young asset. He has the ability to both be a part of the core throughout the remainder of Embiid’s prime while also being able to lead the team into the future. Maxey is the bridge to the Sixers’ future, whatever that entails. Including Maxey in a trade for Lillard would be the ultimate win-now move. Maxey, after just three seasons, has already shown the potential to grow into a co-star next to Embiid. It would not be wise to give that up for Lillard, who is entering the back half of his prime.
Lillard’s desire to play in Miami also should be taken into account. The Sixers, according to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, are not on Lillard’s list of preferred destinations. Why then should the Sixers be willing to dangle a highly valuable young asset in trade talks to acquire a star who does not want to even play here?
Including Maxey in a Lillard trade would all but obliterate their chances of competing in the post-Embiid era. The Sixers’ cupboard of future assets is bare. They do not possess a lot of draft capital, and outside of Maxey they are bereft of young talent. Is the gap in talent between Lillard and Maxey big enough to be worth pulling the trigger? The answer, while being a close call, is no. Keeping Maxey off limits in any Lillard trade is the correct decision. In doing so, the Sixers maintain some future flexibility while also holding onto one of the fastest rising stars in the league.
