NBA Central: The Milwaukee Bucks have had conversations with the Portland Trail Blazers regarding a possible trade involving Damian Lillard, per @MarcJSpears (h/t @BasketballOnX ) pic.twitter.com/LX95p5zHTh
Source: Twitter @TheNBACentral
Clutch Points: “I also hear from those same GMs that they don’t expect [Damian Lillard] to end up being in Portland on Media Day on Monday. They think he’ll be gone.” – @MarcJSpears 👀 pic.twitter.com/6cONKWftKV
Source: Twitter @ClutchPointsApp
NBA on ESPN: “The hottest name that I’m hearing right now of interest is the Toronto Raptors.” — @MarcJSpears Could Damian Lillard end up in the 6? 👀 pic.twitter.com/ISkyyxAY8v
Source: Twitter @ESPNNBA
By all accounts, the Raptors seem at least reasonably confident they can maneuver their way to the front of the line, past the Miami Heat — Damian Lillard’s preferred destination — and ahead of a team such as the Brooklyn Nets, who have the draft picks to get something done if Portland is open to taking on the last two years of Ben Simmons’ contract. The Orlando Magic could also make themselves heard, per sources.
Source: Michael Grange @ SportsNet
There’s more built-in complexity to the Klay Thompson contract talks. Here’s where it currently stands: No official offers or counteroffers have been made from either side, according to league sources. No exact salary numbers have been floated. There isn’t a rush from either side, and there isn’t a deadline. It could theoretically be done in-season, though I’d expect serious discussions (and perhaps an agreement) to come before that.
Source: Anthony Slater @ The Athletic
NBA Central: The Raptors were deep in talks for Damian Lillard on Thursday before pulling out, per @HPbasketball “The Toronto stuff is just leveraging… I heard things were red hot on Thursday and again Masai walked away and then came back… I wouldn’t worry about the Raptors” pic.twitter.com/cgHKN07Omt
Source: Twitter @TheNBACentral
As the NBA embarks on its 78th season, we’ve taken the time to refresh our rankings of the all-time top players. This year, we’ve added one more, presenting our list of the 77 greatest players in NBA history.
Читать дальше...
The Toronto Raptors have convinced numerous teams around the league that their interest in trading for Lillard is genuine. The uncertainty at this point stems more from gauging Toronto’s true willingness to push all the way forward with its Lillard pursuit when it’s believed that the All-Star guard, behind the scenes, remains so resistant to the idea of becoming a Raptor.
Source: Marc Stein @ marcstein.substack.com