The early rush of free agency is over. Some interesting dominoes are still falling across the NBA, like the Clippers managing to re-sign reserve center Mason Plumlee. As of Monday evening, it appears the next major transactions of this offseason — any solution to the pair of trade requests between Damian Lillard and James Harden — aren't rushing against the clock and are even stalling several areas of the marketplace.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard runs up court during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns in Portland, Ore., Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. The early rush of free agency is over. Some interesting dominoes are still falling across the NBA, like the Clippers managing to re-sign reserve center Mason Plumlee.
The dynamic in Philadelphia reads a bit simpler. With or without Harden, so long as Joel Embiid is on the roster, the Sixers are a world spinning around Embiid’s orbit and his aspirations for a championship. The Blazers are deciding where, or whether, to trade a franchise icon and what return that type of move calls for — particularly when you’re so loudly signaling a new era has begun in a small market that’s never been a destination stars like Lillard point to on the NBA map.
The Clippers, though, do bill as a pragmatic trade partner for the Sixers, far more than the Heat do for Portland’s predicament. Los Angeles has $40.5 million in expiring contracts if Philadelphia wants to become players in free agency next summer, offering a premium landing spot for someone to join Embiid and Maxey just as Harden wants to join Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
If Lillard was more open to other destinations than Miami, there’s no question among league personnel Lillard would have a wider market, and Portland would have a much easier process to complete. The Heat’s prominence in this situation makes it unlikely the Blazers will be able to net returns similar to what Brooklyn just got for Kevin Durant and the incredible sum Utah received for Rudy Gobert.
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