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According to reports, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard will make a trade request “in the coming days.” According to Henry Abbott of Really hoop. This is not the first time we have seen the suggestion that Lillard might try to leave Portland after bravely pushing the Trail Blazers into competition, but this came at a time when the team was more chaotic.

You may ask, how can an organization experience more turbulence in the offseason than in the season? Well, let’s take a look at some recent things that have surfaced recently:

  1. The Trail Blazers hired head coach Chauncey Billups because fans rediscovered allegations of sexual assault against him during his stay in Boston in the late 1990s. In his introductory press conference, the team tried to get around this, but further investigation of their review responded poorly to the Blazers. Oregon Public Broadcasting Company investigated the recruitment process and found that the Trail Blazers had never spoken with the plaintiff or their lawyers during the process.
  2. Reddit users The chief investigator used to investigate Billups’ past was able to reveal a Twitter feed containing a variety of offensive content that was privatized shortly after the investigation. The Trail Blazers were forced to issue a statement on the matter, stating that they would “no longer use their services,” referring to the security company Adler Group.
  3. Abbott also Recent report Some strange accusations against Trail Blazers owner Jody Allen over the years (he said he expected to sell the team). These allegations include sexual harassment of team members and previous lawsuits suggesting that Allen allegedly smuggled rare animal bones into the country.

There is also the fact that Neal Oshee has not fully inspired confidence in his ability to lead the team and build competitors around Lillard. For Lillard, this may not be any problem, it feels more like a death caused by 1,000 layoffs, but this (allegedly) made him look for an exit seriously for the first time.

If Lillard asks-we must note that this is still an “if” situation-he will immediately become the most desirable and truly available star on the market. Lillard is a folk hero in Portland to a certain extent. He is a critical moment assassin who has often created some of the league’s most exciting games and moments in the past nine seasons.By acquiring him, the team will immediately become more important, and potential competitors may become Actual If they can make a fair deal for Lillard, they are competitors.

Especially for Philadelphia, it is difficult to find a player who is more suitable to fight alongside Joel Embiid in Philadelphia’s quest to win the championship. Lillard himself is basically an elite offensive player, a stop shooter with absurd range, he always creates hard traps and attention in the half, a pick-and-roll monster that can punish the slightest misunderstanding in the opponent’s defense. For Lillard last year, as an emergency stop pitcher was actually a sluggish year. His 8.1 emergency stop three-pointers per game still exceeded 37%. When the team shot too hard to stop him from outside When shooting, Lillard’s dribble player either scored or was fouled on his way to the basket. He is one of the league’s elite free throw shooters. He ranked in the top ten field goal percentage and second in efficiency last season.

Lillard will be Embiid’s ideal partner. His shot pulls the defender away from the paint and can create a more relaxed appearance for Embiid through the attention of the pick and roll. This will force Embiid to do more work in the transfer, but Embiid has shown that he is willing to do so in the short time with Jimmy Butler in the 2018-19 season. On the other end of the partnership, when the team sent doubles in Embiid, Lillard created more open spaces for him, which would create more catch and shoot opportunities and offensive opportunities. Both will take some time to adapt to the new settings, but the top version of Embiid/Lillard will be a nightmare for opponents.

Embiid offers a lot of value to Lillard, please note that on the defensive end. Lillard has always been rated as one of the least influential guards in the league in Portland, and this fact prevents the Trail Blazers from going beyond their current position in the Western Conference playoffs. He is far from the only culprit, but even in the recent U.S. team exhibition game, he was hunted down by opponents and can stand alongside defensive anchors like Embiid. The big man can solve his problems on offense and let him save some energy on the defensive end by attacking as 76ers fans have already seen.

This brings us a price, which will be important no matter where Lillard is (theoretically) sent. Completing the transaction requires most of Philadelphia’s funds, and it is likely to fundamentally change the way the Sixers chase Lillard and how it works.

Ben Simmons and (I think) various first-round draft picks will be the starting point, but I don’t think this will be the end because of recent star trading precedents and the open market for Simmons’s difficult to determine value. James Harden’s deal negotiation, Houston’s requirement for draft picks and young players above Ben Simmons, is a good frame of reference, just like Milwaukee’s re-draft deal to acquire Jrue Holiday last offseason. The Trail Blazers will almost certainly negotiate, demand Simmons, every unsure pick and exchange, and Philadelphia’s most promising young players, Tyrese Maxi and Matisse Sebull.

Where or can the 76ers draw the line? Last summer, they hesitated about the additional terms of the Harden talks and supported Maxi to continue to do great things in the future. Bringing the team a point guard in the best condition may change this calculation, or it may give them motivation to try to retain Maxi and develop him as a substitute for Lillard. You can also argue that in a future built around Lillard without Simmons, Sebre is more valuable, where he has the potential to immediately enter the starting lineup and take on top defensive tasks every night. On the other hand, as someone who plays college in the Pacific Northwest, he is a familiar face, a player who can help Portland try to continue winning games even if they rebuild in the future of Lillard. Trading most (or at least part) of your capable deep players will be a hard pill to swallow, but trading a high-level offensive star is your chance to do so.

(The team with Embiid and Lillard may lack depth at first, but this partnership and situation can attract buyout players and veteran free agents to join the team at a cheaper price. You can find depth and make up for it. , Xingli cannot.)

It can be said that the most important factor is exactly the ending Lillard wants. As we have seen in other recent examples, player preferences are a huge driving force for these star deals, and franchises are cautious about powerful agents and players who forcibly exit. This does not reduce the value of the deal, and given Lillard’s heroic status in Portland, if they trade Lillard just because of Lillard’s wishes, the Trail Blazers will almost certainly be plundered by their own fan base. .

Will Lillard want to come to Philadelphia to play with Embiid? This is currently an open question. It should be pointed out that he is a native of Oakland, California, and has never played in Eastern Utah. He has played college ball at Weber State University. Life on the East Coast may not suit him, although from a basketball perspective, it makes sense for Lillard to look for opportunities in the Eastern Conference to escape the current league’s meat grinder.

In the end, Lillard wants to win, and the trade with the 76ers will provide him with a first-class partner, a meeting with a gentler offense in the regular season, and a chance to attract more talent forward. This will cost the 76ers a considerable price, especially because Lillard is locked and signed a four-season contract, which will not become a free agent issue until 2025. But this is a feature for Philadelphia, not a mistake, ensuring that their most important players are well adapted to the future here.

Lillard has eliminated the suggestion he wanted or is making before, and we must make sure that this time it may happen again. But this seems to be getting closer and closer to the conclusion, and the 76ers may have the opportunity to make changes to the team in the next few weeks.


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