Philadelphia 76ers rumors: Damian Lillard or bust?

A conclusion that felt somewhat inevitable considering all the drama that’s surrounded the Trail Blazers franchise since their early postseason exit, it looks like top Philadelphia 76ers offseason target Damian Lillard is nearing (or has already made) an official trade request.

True Hoops’ Henry Abbott was the first to break the news, with other reporters and writers quickly following suit:

While the above mentioned “Barry Bondz” failed to name the Sixers as a team that Lillard is currently interested in, BetMGM’s Quinton Mayo did in his own respective tweet:

So now that the cat is finally out of the bag, it has to be “Lillard or bust” for Daryl Morey, right? An executive who was brought in with the sole purpose of building a championship winner sometime in the near future, Morey has already struck out once when it came to landing a second MVP-caliber talent to pair alongside the likes of Joel Embiid. Losing the James Harden sweepstakes was significant, especially when you taken into account the fact that he landed in Brooklyn.

Even though Harden struggled with some hamstring issues during the postseason and the Nets were unable to get past the Bucks, everyone is pretty much in agreement that Brooklyn will be a top Finals favorite next season.

Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers need to approach the offseason with a “Lillard or bust” type of mentality.

With Ben Simmons now officially on the trade block following his recent playoff struggles, the Sixers are somewhat limited in how they approach this offseason. They have to acquire a perimeter scorer who better matches up with Embiid’s post-heavy play style, but they also don’t want to sell Simmons – who is still an incredibly valuable asset – for spare change.

Ignoring offers from the Timberwolves, Kings, Cavaliers, and Spurs needs to be made a priority, with more attention being paid towards teams with legitimate All-Star guards.

When it comes to Lillard, there’s little justification that needs to happen here. He’s quite debatably the second best point guard in the game at the moment, and his elite three-point shooting makes him a dream fit alongside the likes of Embiid. Lillard has also yet to appear in an NBA Finals, and would presumably welcome the idea of pairing up next to Embiid as the two chase their first ring together.

Lillard is also one of the NBA’s better “closers.” A player who is willing and able to take game-winning shots at the end of games. The Sixers have really lacked this type of player following Jimmy Butler’s departure in 2020.

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While there are other half-decent trade candidates out there (CJ McCollum, De’Aaron Fox, Zach Lavine Kyle Lowry, etc), it really does feel like it’s a “Lillard or bust” type of offseason for Morey, as previously stated. The clock is ticking in regards to Embiid’s prime, and it would be malpractice to sit back and avoid trading draft picks and young players when someone as great as Lillard is now available to be had.

Finding role players to fill out an NBA roster really isn’t that hard in today’s era of buyouts – everyone on the Philadelphia 76ers roster outside of Embiid should be made available in trade conversations with Portland. Yes, even if that means giving up Simmons, Maxey, Thybulle, and multiple first-round picks.

If the Sixers are unable to land their superstar trade target for the second year in a row (first Harden, now Lillard), one would have to wonder just how capable Morey is of building his first championship-winning roster.