Damian Lillard
- Thread starter sactowndog
- Start date
If Dame wants out and Portland would take Simmons in return, then that's the deal.
If Portland doesn't want Simmons, then the Kings could get involved.
But I think the asking price is the same on the Kings end. It would likely cost Fox at the minimum.
If Philly didn't get any better deals then the Kings might be able to net Simmons and another asset (ideally Thybulle but more likely #28 and or Milton) because the Sixers seemingly painted themselves into a corner here.
But if Lillard is involved the deal likely swings the other way with the Kings having to add assets since they wouldn't have the same kind of leverage.
I think Lillard to the Kings is a nonstarter. I don't see how post-trade the Kings are better than the current Blazers so why would Lillard want to be dealt to Saramento?
Simmons might work but it will cost Fox for sure.
If Portland doesn't want Simmons, then the Kings could get involved.
But I think the asking price is the same on the Kings end. It would likely cost Fox at the minimum.
If Philly didn't get any better deals then the Kings might be able to net Simmons and another asset (ideally Thybulle but more likely #28 and or Milton) because the Sixers seemingly painted themselves into a corner here.
But if Lillard is involved the deal likely swings the other way with the Kings having to add assets since they wouldn't have the same kind of leverage.
I think Lillard to the Kings is a nonstarter. I don't see how post-trade the Kings are better than the current Blazers so why would Lillard want to be dealt to Saramento?
Simmons might work but it will cost Fox for sure.
sactowndog
All-Star
Dame Lillard is 31 years old with a contract that ends in 2025 when he is 35. Dame with CJ and Nurkic is a first round exit in the west.
De’Arron Fox is 23 years old with a contract that ends in 2026 when he is 28. Fox will be three years younger at the end of his contract than Dame is now.
that is how I conclude short term thinking.
Last edited:
Kings get: Simmons+Maxey (Or Thybulle)
Sixers get: Dame
Blazers get: Fox
Basketball/Fox fan in me would be pissed, but I think the value would be pretty equal across the board.
"equal across the board" isn't exactly what I'm looking for when you've got two teams at a crossroads with players who want out or don't fit versus shipping out a guy who by all accounts loves playing here.
I'm not demanding outright theft here, but if we're helping these teams out I'd like to see more as bottom line I'd rather not make the playoffs with Fox than not make the playoffs with Simmons. Also we probably facilitate Philly getting over which I hate.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
This honestly tells me that Fox turned a lot of heads last season and teams are looking to see if they can either use him to fluff up value or set their franchise up for the future the way the Kings should be right now. And I understand due diligence but if Monte is aggressively shopping his assets for these win now types, goodness gracious.
iowamcnabb
Hall of Famer
if you think a first ballot hall of famer that has 5 or 6 peak years left is short term thinking I don’t know to tell you.
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
Dame’s already 31 so 5 or 6 years might be pushing it.
iowamcnabb
Hall of Famer
tell that to Lebron, Chris and Steph. These guys fitness and nutrition is next level
Section 101
All-Star
And the likely hood of an achilles or knee blowing increases. See Klay/KD.
Are these guys in "their prime"?
I think LeBron fell off noticeably at 35? Injuries are harder to recover regardless.
Yeah, but does Lillard have any interest in spending 5 or 6 years with a small market Kings team that hasn't made the playoffs in 15 years and just traded away their best player to get him?
Portland has spent Dame's whole career trying to build a contender around him and failed. I can't imagine he'd be happy playing out his last productive years hoping McNair can somehow do it.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
One that is currently stuck in the middle of the pack on a team already basically built around him. So, tack on a few years to get that whole team build thing right if you're the Kings. If the Kings were already in the middle of the race for sure, maybe the story is different, but while I personally think they should have been in that part of the pack already they aren't, so making moves as if they are is just asking for trouble if it means setting yourself back in case a rebuild is necessary. When you trade for someone at the point Dame is at in his career, you will never get the trade value back out of him since he'll be on the back end of his career. The only teams looking for him will be ones with little assets for a rebuild team in all likelihood.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
And when it comes to comparing players at the back ends of their careers, LeBron and Jordan are probably off limits. They were/are physical anomalies. From day 1.
iowamcnabb
Hall of Famer
I’m not advocating for a trade to the Kings. He has no interest in coming here and I don’t blame him. However I don’t think bringing a player of the caliber of Dame to Sac is short term thinking on the Front office side of things.
In theory we have a 10 year window with Fox but would have a 5 year window with Dame, and one player is presumably going to get better over the next 5 while the other would decline?
I realize that Dame is a better player today but at some point in the next 5 years I would expect Dame to fall off a bit and Fox to reach his arc?
My issue with the trade is trading like for like and getting the older player. Also despite everything above, this would not be a 1:1 trade and we'd most likely have to send at least a pick or two or a pick and another player. Which won't help us any.
sactowndog
All-Star
if you think at 31 he has 5 or 6 peak years left I don’t know what to tell you other than I’m willing to make another bet ;-). I know you are good for it and I’m all for increasing the food stocks at our local food banks
.
sactowndog
All-Star
LeBron and Chris have both declined. I’m watching Paul make unforced turnovers. He is still good but he isn’t peak Chris Paul.
sactowndog
All-Star
Twice is a stretch as he doesn’t average 50 and his defense is just as bad.
iowamcnabb
Hall of Famer
Ok how about this, his 31, 32, 33 and 34 seasons are likely to be prime years. Steph is the player most comparable and had one of his best seasons this year. Do you expect him to fall off a cliff this season? Even if he drops a level or two below that he has a long prosperous career ahead of him.
Again, this isn’t my endorsement of a Lillard to Sac trade that will never happen. It’s simply my objection to the idea that adding a hall of famer is somehow Vivek doing Vivek things.
Section 101
All-Star
Steph also had a year off to re-energize.
Say Kings got Simmons plus Thybulle or Maxey, gave up Bagley and Buddy #9 plus 2024 and 2026 first rounders and Philly also included their 2023 and 2025 picks.
Blazers get 5 additional first rounders over the next 5 years - Philly's would be 25-30 but Sacramento's likely would be 10-20. They get Buddy who will be movable or is declining (attractive if selling team); Bagley who could succeed in Portland - it's a decent market like OKC that will be pretty chill/low expectation and easy to win fans unless he does something stupid to a female.
They'd be in full rebuild so why not immediately move CJ and Nurk while they're at it insuring two high lotto picks over the next two seasons in addition to the 5 picks they get from Sac and Philly it would be a really quick rebuild I would think. If Bagley worked out even quicker.
Not gonna lie, we'd be making the playoffs and I'd be happy, but if Portland fired Olshey and hired a competent GM to make those picks I'd still be envious of their future.
I do have to say, that the Kings show up in some of the most hair-brained (and always one-sided) trade proposals I have seen this offseason. It's very interesting where all this attention comes from.
look, I live out in the Australian bush most the time and hardly have any access to Kings basketball anymore. Im now old by most your standards but clued in enough to know adding a defensive all star like Simmons plus Thybulle preferably, or Maxey to Fox and Haliburton makes for an exciting legit team.
Make it happen Monte, I like this guy after the incompetence we have been subjected to, no nonsense.
I am guessing the Blazers wouldn't do this but I think it's short-sighted because they are capped out and going nowhere. Their end game is Lillard asking out in a year or two so why not trade before his value craters the way Simmons has?
But that's the reason this type of deal probably wouldn't go down. But if the Blazers can wait out the 6ers making any other moves, McCollum for Simmons might be the best talent for talent deal actually on the table.
I would like to be on record saying that I would totally trade Fox for Dame. In a heartbeat. Y'all got a lot of confidence and hope in two guys who've never made an all star or all NBA team and I guess you must be way more patient than I am after missing the playoffs for 16 years. 10 year window? Did I miss the part where we had Fox signed for 10 years, or the part where he's guaranteed to stay because of our winning ways?
Guess I'll just have to live with 10 more years of "Fox would average 50ppg if he got the calls that [insert player name] got", and "Kings would also be in the finals like [insert player name] but aren't cos ESPN and the NBA aren't pushing Fox as next Magic Johnson narrative"
Oo let's not be short sighted. Let's be all about the future and long term winning, like we have the past 16 years counting on draft pick after draft pick and all those mystical mythical top free agents who are gonna sign with the Kings to lead us to the promise land. Hey, as long as they say they wanna be in Sac right?
Guess I'll just have to live with 10 more years of "Fox would average 50ppg if he got the calls that [insert player name] got", and "Kings would also be in the finals like [insert player name] but aren't cos ESPN and the NBA aren't pushing Fox as next Magic Johnson narrative"
Oo let's not be short sighted. Let's be all about the future and long term winning, like we have the past 16 years counting on draft pick after draft pick and all those mystical mythical top free agents who are gonna sign with the Kings to lead us to the promise land. Hey, as long as they say they wanna be in Sac right?
Last edited:
Similar threads
- Locked
- Poll