The sight of Damian Lillard representing the Trail Blazers at the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night may have led some to believe that the All-Star point guard will stay in Portland.
Then, the Blazers fell back to seventh in the lottery, and questions about the future of the franchise, and their star, resumed.
Lillard has been involved in trade rumors for years, and every time his name comes up, so does the Knicks, who have consistently struggled to find a star point guard throughout the years (decades). New York would be an obvious candidate if Lillard hit the trading block, and the team was reportedly preparing for that last season.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Knicks had discussions within the team about “potential significant packaged” that they could send to Portland for Lillard last offseason. Obviously, no trades materialized, and with Joe Cronin, the new GM, publicly stating his intentions to build around Lillard, not by trading him, it seems like a deal to New York is far less likely this offseason.
Lillard, a six-time All-Star, played in just 29 games last season due to abdominal surgery. He turns 32 in July.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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