Trade speculation surrounding Damian Lillard continues and the Knicks are waiting for an opportunity to trade for the All-Star.
New York has been monitoring the situation for quite some time and the franchise would be open to dealing as many as three first-round picks in a deal for Lillard. It was previously reported that the Knicks would offer RJ Barrett in such a deal, though no word on whether they’d combine Barrett with that kind of draft haul.
Lillard hasn’t requested a trade from the Blazers, though he made it clear that he hasn’t yet made up his mind on his future. Winning matters to the point guard and he recently met with GM Neil Olshey and new coach Chauncey Billups to discuss his concerns.
“I think that’s the stage we’re at as a team where we all, not just me, not just my teammates, not just our new coaching staff, the front office, everybody in this organization must look in the mirror because we’ve constantly come up short,’’ Lillard told FortyEightMinutes and other media via zoom last week. “We have to look in the mirror and say, ‘I have to be better’ because whatever it is we’re doing is not working and it’s not giving us the shot to compete on the level that we want to compete on.”
More From New York
- The Knicks are the team that is most likely to trade up in the NBA Draft, Matt Moore of The Action Network relays. New York has been rumored to be eyeing a top-10 draft pick, as the team holds four picks in the upcoming draft, including the No. 19 and No. 21 overall selections. Moore hears from multiple sources that the franchise is targeting a player in the low teens, though no one knows which player it is.
- New York is reportedly looking “for wings and guys who can shoot,” as Thibodeau recently explained at the Draft Combine, and Marc Berman of the New York Post wonders if Oregon’s Chris Duarte is a fit. Berman also reports that the shooting guard has a guarantee somewhere.
- David Vertsberger of Yahoo.com makes the case for the Knicks to draft Jalen Johnson out of Duke, contending that the 6-foot-9 forward would be a nice fit for Tom Thibodeau’s defense. Johnson’s athletic ability and instinct should allow him to thrive in the system.
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