Where the Raptors Stack Up Among Damian Lillard's Most Likely Landing Spots
There’s been precious little news out of Portland lately where Damian Lillard remains a member of the Trail Blazers despite his desire to be moved this summer.
Lillard, by all accounts, remains deadset on heading to Miami to join Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and the Heat, and Miami is the heavy favorite to land the superstar point guard, listed at -250 to be Lillard’s team for next season, per DraftKings.
If Portland can’t strike a deal with Miami, there are +400 odds or a roughly 20% chance he remains with the Trail Blazers for next season.
Other likely suitors include the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, and Philadelphia 76ers at +650, +850, and +1,000, respectively, implying between a 13% and 9% probability to land Lillard.
The Toronto Raptors are listed at +2,000 as a less likely suitor, implying a 5% chance Lillard ends up in Toronto. As the odds suggest, it seems incredibly unlikely Toronto makes a deal for the 33-year-old whose timeline for a championship does not match that of the Raptors’. A deal for Lillard with Toronto would likely have to include some combination of Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby, and Gary Trent Jr.
The Raptors have shown far shown no indication they’re looking to make a massive win-now move this summer and the signing of Dennis Schröder with the non-taxpayer mid-level exception has hard capped the team, making it even more difficult to build a championship-caliber team around Lillard.
