The New York Knicks are desperately hoping that star point guard Damian Lillard decides to force Portland into a trade. The Knicks have been lost without a legitimate point guard for years, which proved to be a costly weakness during the postseason, despite the valiant effort of Derrick Rose.
Rose still has some gas left in the tank, but he’s no longer in his mid-20s and capable of electrifying the stadium in the blink of an eye with posterizing dunks and consistent minutes. Rose battled through injury and fatigue toward the end of the season but still pushed forward, putting his best foot in front of him. The Knicks would be foolish to let him slip away in FA if they can afford to retain him, but acquiring a star at the position should still be a priority.
While New York is hopeful they can pry Lillard away from the Trailblazers, Enes Kanter believes Damian is staying with the team that originally drafted him.
“You know one thing he doesn’t care about big markets, small markets,’’ Kanter said Monday on SiriusXM Radio. “He wants to win it all in Portland. I’m saying this every time I talk about him, but he’s definitely one of the most loyal and maybe the most loyal player in the league. People always talk about how good of a player he is, but he’s actually one of the best teammates that I’ve played with.”
On the off chance that Lillard hits the market, what would it take for the Knicks to convince Portland to part ways?
Marc Berman of the NY Post believes they could offer Portland a nice package for Lillard if he did hit the trade market:
The Knicks are likely willing to include three first-round picks in a Lillard deal and have the cap space to make a transaction smoother mathematically.
