Do Nets have shot at Damian Lillard?
Detroit Pistons guard Dennis Smith Jr. drives to the basket during the second half of a game against the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 26, 2021. Credit: AP/Carlos Osorio
After weeks of speculation, Damian Lillard is on the trade market. But Nets fans shouldn’t rejoice just yet.
Lillard officially requested a trade from the Trail Blazers on Saturday, according to multiple reports. The Nets initially were reported as a possible suitor by The Athletic, but subsequent reports said Lillard’s preference is to be traded to the Heat.
The defending Eastern Conference champions offer a faster track to a championship after losing to the Nuggets in the NBA Finals, but it adds more fuel to rumors surrounding Lillard and the Nets since April.
Lillard sat courtside during Game 3 of the Nets-76ers playoff series at Barclays Center. It caused some stir on social media, but Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported he was in New York mainly for business engagements, including his music career.
Lillard, who was named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, is a fan of Mikal Bridges and spoke highly of the Nets on Showtime’s “The Last Stand” podcast last month.
“I think Miami is the obvious one,” he said when asked about good fits in a potential trade. “Brooklyn is another obvious one cause Mikal Bridges is my dog, too. Both have capable rosters.”
In his 11th season, Lillard, 32, earned his seventh All-Star and All-NBA selections and averaged a career-high 32.2 points along with 7.3 assists.
The Nets are no strangers to trading for top talent. They acquired James Harden in 2021 and traded him a year later for Ben Simmons. They also added Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as free agents in 2019.
The Nets have assets that make them an attractive partner. They have five future first-round picks between 2025 and 2029 as well as a 2028 first-round pick swap with the Suns or 76ers. They also have a slew of wing players and reportedly discussed Royce O’Neale or Dorian Finney-Smith in trade talks.
On “NBA Today” on Saturday, ESPN analyst Bobby Marks proposed a three-team scenario with the Nets, Trail Blazers and Heat. The Nets would send Ben Simmons and three draft picks to Portland and Lillard would go to the Heat, who would send guard Tyler Herro to the Nets and two first-round picks plus a pick swap to Portland.
Simmons is owed $78.2 million the next two seasons. Given the recent issues with his back that limited him to 42 games last season, it’s tough seeing the Trail Blazers take that gamble in exchange for one of their all-time great players.
The scenario, however, does highlight the steep price for Lillard, who is owed $45.6 million next season and signed a two-year, $121 million extension that starts in 2025.
General manager Sean Marks has said the Nets will be patient to see how the roster develops around Bridges. That could get tested with Lillard available, though, and in April, Marks said he wasn’t opposed to adding or trading for another star.
“Hopefully we’ve put ourselves in a place to attract our own group to come back, attract free agents. I think they know what Brooklyn is about,” he said then.
“Most of the last five, six years, Brooklyn’s certainly been on the map. I think that being able to witness Jacque [Vaughn] as a coach, that speaks volumes.”
“So as we prioritize things in the summer, we won’t be in a rush. We’ll do our due diligence as always.”
With Lillard available, that process could be sped up. It’s a long shot, given that he’s more interested in Miami, but he also doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract. The Trail Blazers certainly will accommodate him, but they’ll also want a suitable return as well.
Does that mean the Nets still have a chance? Is it worth radically changing their roster? Time will tell.
Nets swap Mills, ink Smith
The Nets traded guard Patty Mills to the Rockets, a league source confirmed to Newsday.
The move came after the Nets signed guard Dennis Smith Jr. to a one-year deal, a source confirmed.
Mills’ contract will expire next summer after he signed a two-year deal with the Nets. By trading him, they clear his $6.8 million salary off their payroll.
Mills spent two years in Brooklyn and averaged 6.2 points in 40 games last season, down from 11.4 points in 2021-22. His 14.2 minutes per game were his lowest since the 2014-15 season.
It’s the second salary-shedding move the Nets have done. On Friday, they traded Harris and a pair of future second-round picks to the Pistons in a move that cleared Harris’ $19.9 million salary.
Smith’s signing likely meant fewer minutes for Mills. A former lottery pick in 2017, the former Knick is on his sixth team after playing with the Hornets last season. He averaged 8.8 points, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 54 games mostly as a reserve and earned a reputation as a solid defender.
Smith has struggled as a shooter with a career average of 40.3% from the field. However, he’s a solid facilitator and posted a 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio last season, which was 17th in the league.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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