Some news, notes and rumblings as we move toward Friday’s official start of NBA free agency …
- There certainly were a few eyebrows raised this week when Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin publicly doubled down on Portland’s desire to build a team around Damian Lillard. Still, there is a belief among rival execs that the Blazers will not be able to do enough in the coming days to satisfy Lillard’s stated desire to play for a winner, and the two sides will eventually decide its best for both to move on.
So where will Portland look? While any trade will be a collaborative effort between the team and Lillard, the Blazers will, understandably, want the best possible return. Portland is lukewarm on Tyler Herro, sources told Sports Illustrated. He is entering the first year of a four-year, $130 million contract. Brooklyn, armed with a collection of Suns picks that stretch deep into the decade, can offer the most draft capital. And the Blazers could take a flyer on Ben Simmons, whose contract ($77 million over the next two seasons) isn’t as onerous as it used to be. Several other Eastern Conference contenders, including Boston, New York and Philadelphia, could jump into the mix.
