The Trail Blazers had an impressive haul in the 2023 NBA draft, but after opting to keep the No. 3 pick instead of packaging it in a potential trade to add more NBA-proven talent, all eyes turned to veteran point guard Damian Lillard.
It was rumored that the Blazers might have needed to swing a deal in order to hopefully remove the lingering concern that Lillard could request a trade. Although he has yet to do so, it does appear that free agency is going to be a driving point for the two sides.
Fortunately for the Blazers, as The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported, there is one “dream scenario” from Lillard’s vantage point with a specific focus on free agency.
“So, what would it take to convince Lillard that Portland is still the place to be for the rest of his NBA days?” Amick wrote. “Here’s one solution that is known to be a dream scenario from Lillard’s vantage point: Re-sign forward Jerami Grant and add four-time All-Star/four-time champion Draymond Green in free agency.”
The Warriors appear to be far ahead of competitors in Draymond Green’s pending free agency. As Amick points out, the Blazers would need to do a lot of work on the salary cap for the addition of Green and re-signing of Jerami Grant to work.
The first question becomes whether Green would choose to leave the Warriors, as they’re pushing for his return. But the idea of teaming up with Lillard has to provide some level of intrigue for the 33-year-old power forward.
