![]() “There seems almost no chance Portland will make the playoffs,” notes Sam Smith of NBA.com. A move that is more wanted for him than by him, or so it has seemed. Lillard leaving Portland is the NBA media’s white whale. He is one of just five players to finish their season putting up at least 32.0 points, 7.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds for a season, though he also played 10 fewer games than the next lowest man. The 6-foot-2 lead guard was averaging 32.2 points on 64.5% true shooting, knocking down 37.1% of his 11.3 three-point attempts per game adding 7.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds. Lillard, 32, was putting together arguably the best season of his career before being shut down with a calf injury as the team is one of just four Western Conference participants that are more than one loss out of the Play-In field. “This trade would deliver one of the best point guards in the business.” “They’ve had major point guard problems ever since losing Lonzo Ball to a knee injury last January,” notes Buckley. But Lillard could finally bring some stabilization to a Bulls’ backcourt trying to patch things together with 34-year-old Patrick Beverley.ĭamian Lillard Would Solve Bulls’ Point Guard Problem Just how much is always an underlying question whenever a blockbuster deal goes down. It might go without saying, but adding Lillard would almost certainly elevate their ceiling to some marked degree. That is 33% less than even the ninth-seeded Toronto Raptors. They boast the NBA’s fourth-best defensive rating and the eighth-best net rating in that span.Īccording to FiveThirtyEight, however, the Bulls have just a 19% chance of making the actual postseason as the current 10-seed – meaning moving past the Play-In Tournament. The Bulls are 10-7 since the All-Star break, a stark contrast from the five-game losing streak they went into it on. Ball would function mostly as a money-matcher, but he could be an impact floor general if he ever gets healthy. “Patrick Williams is a blue-chip prospect, Coby White is an interesting one, Dalen Terry is a wild card and three first-round picks are…well, three first-round picks. “If the Blazers are losing Lillard, that means they’re starting over and should seek as many picks and prospects as they can get,” Buckley speculates. They have held him out of trade talks but the thought is that, for a superstar-level player, they would include the talented youngster. He is their prized prospect, taken fourth overall in 2020. Terry is intriguing but unproven whereas things get interesting in this regard is Williams. White is going to be a restricted free agent after this year and might have played himself into a modest raise with some security from the Bulls. Chicago could easily have the sprinters needed to win nightly races to 125 points.”īulls center Nikola Vucevic is slated to be an unrestricted free agent which is, presumably, why he is not included in that equation, though he could always return if the price is right.īall’s NBA future has been put on hold as he tries to overcome a knee injury that has sidelined him since January of the 2021-22 season. “That’s a fair question, but with this level of offensive firepower, it might be a meaningless one. While his teammates were relatively efficient, LaVine couldn't find any rhythm, ultimately leading to the Bulls being ousted from the postseason.“Is there enough defense between Lillard, LaVine and DeRozan to make this work,” Buckley asks before answering. ![]() LaVine picked a bad time to go cold from the floor, ending Friday's loss with 15 points on 6-of-21 shooting. Looking ahead, Beverley is no spring chicken, meaning his days of being a fantasy-relevant player may be coming to an end, no matter his role next season. ![]() The veteran guard was unable to provide his usual spark, allowing the Heat to roll over the top of the Bulls down the stretch. ![]() If he can finally stay healthy next season, he will likely serve as an elite stream option for anyone needing assists and steals.īeverley couldn't lift his team to victory Friday, failing to score in 27 minutes. After an up-and-down campaign, Caruso demonstrated the sort of impact he can have when healthy with two strong performances to close the season. Caruso remained in the starting lineup Friday and ended with another productive night despite the season-ending loss. ![]()
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