The Toronto Raptors have emerged as a serious suitor for Damian Lillard.
The buzz around the Raptors potentially trading for Lillard has been strong over the last couple of days.
NBA insider Marc Stein weighed in on the Raptors interest in Damian Lillard in his latest newsletter:
“The Toronto Raptors have convinced numerous teams around the league that their interest in trading for Lillard is genuine. The uncertainty at this point stems more from gauging Toronto’s true willingness to push all the way forward with its Lillard pursuit when it’s believed that the All-Star guard, behind the scenes, remains so resistant to the idea of becoming a Raptor.”
Stein also mentions how the Raptors taking a risk and trading for Kawhi Leonard is different than the Lillard situation this time around.
Lillard has four seasons and nearly $220 million left on his contract. Leonard had a year left on his contract plus a player option, which he was certainly going to decline once he got traded to Toronto.
Stein says that when the Raptors traded for Kawhi Leonard in 2018 they had a more well-rounded team.
Stein questions if the Raptors want to trade for the expensive 33-year-old Lillard, who still has so much time left on his current deal. Especially since he’s been adamant about wanting to be in Miami.
Stein echoes a lot of the risk that comes with making this trade for the Raptors.
Will the Raptors get a deal done?
Even without the Raptors including Scottie Barnes, they could still put forth a compelling offer for Damian Lillard.
A trade package centered around OG Anunoby would likely be the Raptors offer to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Even if the Raptors do spark the Blazers’ interest, is it worth sacrificing their future for a player who doesn’t want to be there?
Lillard would reportedly ‘make it ugly’ if traded to Toronto.
With the NBA offseason coming to an end, it’ll be interesting to see if a Lillard trade happens before the start of the season. The Raptors shocked the NBA world once when trading for a superstar, will they do it again?
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