Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers back on July 2, but no trade has materialized yet.
As training camp inches closer, the anticipation for a Lillard trade grows. Lillard has made it clear that he only wants to play for the Miami Heat.
The Heat are coming off an NBA Finals appearance where they lost to the Denver Nuggets in 5 games. Getting a player like Lillard would do wonders for them.
The Toronto Raptors have been a team thrown around in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes. However, according to Shams Charania if Lillard is traded to a team like Toronto, he wouldn’t report to the team:
“At this point, I’m told the only two training camps Damian Lillard would report to, in theory: Portland and Miami. “If a team like Toronto were to trade for Lillard, I do not believe Lillard would even report.”
This puts an end to teams like the Raptors potentially trying to trade for Lillard.
This may be a good thing for the Raptors. The reported asking price for Damian Lillard is extremely high and they would presumably have to include Scottie Barnes in any trade package.
Barnes has shown a lot of promise in only two years in the NBA and the Raptors seem keen on holding onto him in the long run.
There hasn’t been any traction around Damian Lillard trade possibilities in the last month. Time will tell if something will get done before training camp starts.
Best case scenario for the Raptors in 2023-24
Coming off a subpar year, the Raptors are looking to improve for this upcoming season.
Despite losing Fred VanVleet in free agency, the Raptors still have Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Scottie Barnes in the fold. They also have Dennis Schroder who recently won gold with Germany and FIBA World Cup MVP.
Let’s look at the best case scenario for the Raptors this season.
Have you subscribed to the Raptors Nation YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
