Column: Situations Like Damian Lillard's Could Determine OKC's Future
It’s incredibly unlikely that the Oklahoma City Thunder are in for Damian Lillard.
But his situation is interesting, as one similar to it could be the key to the Thunder’s future.
Lillard has a contract, and has always been very vocal about his love for the Portland Trail Blazers and his disdain for the “Super Team” era in the NBA.
However, this season Lillard again had to drag the Trail Blazers across the finish line, with seemingly no help once they got into the playoffs. Falling 4-2 to a depleted Denver Nuggets team, it seemed like Lillard going for 50 points and 10 assists every night was the only path to victory.
As a result, Portland head coach Terry Stotts was canned.
The front office remained in tact, and general manager Neil Olshey seemed to deflect blame as far away from roster construction as possible.
“The first round loss and the defensive rating at 29 was not a product of the roster,” Olshey said in his end of the season exit interview.
Damian Lillard starred as the Portland Trail Blazers crashed out in the first round of the NBA Playoffs
Ron Chenoy / USA TODAY Sports
And while Lillard may indeed finish his career as a Trail Blazer, those kinds of declarations tend to disgruntle superstars.
Kevin Durant famously hammered the Thunder front office for always getting younger instead of dealing for established stars, citing it as one of the reasons he bolted to the Bay Area from Oklahoma City.
If Lillard opts to force his way out of Portland, he won’t be the first nor the last player demand to be sent to a contender, regardless of their previous public comments.
And that’s where the Thunder come in.
Barring OKC hitting the lottery and walking out on June 22 with the first and fifth picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, the time isn’t right to cash in for a player like Lillard. The timelines just don’t add up.
But this exact situation is likely what would put the Thunder over the top.
Oklahoma City general manager has wheeled-and-dealed his way to 34 draft picks between now and 2027. Of those 34 picks, 17 are first rounders.
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Just doing the math, the Thunder don’t have 17 roster spots to pick and develop every single one of those players in the NBA, and there’s little to no chance they will pick in the first round 17 times over that span.
What they can do is flip those highly coveted first round picks for established stars, removing the guesswork of the draft.
Think the Paul George trade on steroids, only instead of clutching to NBA relevancy, the Thunder would be looking for the right piece to set them over the top.
It’s no guarantee of course, but nothing in professional sports ever is.
The Boston Celtics sat in a similar position after they cashed in on the Brooklyn Nets future for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Danny Ainge’s inability to find the right move for the right price cranked up the pressure on him, and likely played a factor in his decision to step away from the Celtics at the conclusion of the season.
So the onus on Presti is still to pick the right time and the right deal to propel the Thunder to the top of the NBA.
But in the meantime, OKC holds all the cards. They just have to play their hand correctly.
