Day: July 16, 2023

RealGM Radio: Jared Dubin On The Offseason (Jun 2023)RealGM Radio: Jared Dubin On The Offseason (Jun 2023)

Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) talks with Jared Dubin (@JADubin5) about NBA offseason.

They discuss the shifting importance of offseason cap space, how superstars change teams, whether front offices need to change their approach and much more.

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Damian Lillard’s Two-Year, $112M Extension In 2022 Has Contributed To Decrease In Trade ValueDamian Lillard’s Two-Year, $112M Extension In 2022 Has Contributed To Decrease In Trade Value

The already drawn out process of a Damian Lillard trade with the Portland Trail Blazers appears to be a byproduct of how there is no impetus for any side to get a deal done.

The Miami Heat are considered the team “most motivated” to trade for Lillard and also his preferred destination, but they are trying to avoid overpaying on a deal if they can as the market is not as high for him considering his age and contract status.

“It could take months,” said Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday. “It could take weeks. I think the absence of a real deadline lurking on a Damian Lillard trade. There’s no trade deadline coming. There’s no NBA draft. There’s no July 1 free agency about to start. All those landmarks in the NBA calendar give teams motivation and give them parameters to get big deals done. The next real deadline for any of these teams is the start of training camp in late September.

“So I think for the Portland Trail Blazers, they don’t want to rush into what they consider to be a bad deal. The Miami Heat, the team that is most motivated to try to trade for Damian Lillard, where Damian Lillard wants to end up, they don’t want to be in a situation where they are bidding against themselves right now. They look out into the marketplace [and] know that the market does not love the idea of paying Damian Lillard a $60 million average at 35 and 36 years old, the last two years of that deal. If this was a contract with two years left, it would be different perhaps. So there’s no rush for either side to be real aggressive in their conversations with each other.”

“I think for Portland, they’re motivated to wait this out and continue to see how we get the most back for Damian Lillard. They don’t see it as moving quickly on a deal, unless Miami came with all of their assets. You know what they’re able to trade for Damian Lillard. They’re not motivated to do that now that they would be bidding against themselves.”

The Blazers signed Lillard to a two-year, $122 million extension in 2022 that Wojnarowski referenced as being a factor in depressing his trade value.

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Daryl Morey Has ‘Exorbitant Asking Price’ For James HardenDaryl Morey Has ‘Exorbitant Asking Price’ For James Harden

James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers remain in limbo as no team appears prepared to pay anything close to Daryl Morey’s current asking price. The Sixers are believed to be asking for a lot for Harden because they feel comfortable with the idea of him returning to the team next season.

“His asking price is exorbitant,” said Adrian Wojnarowski of Morey. “Teams are not engaging the Sixers with the kind of asks that Daryl Morey is asking for James Harden. That’s where Daryl Morey always starts in trade talks, really high. Over time, perhaps, you work him back down.

“But like Ben Simmons, there’s hope on the Sixers’ side that eventually, at some point, they can get James Harden on board about being in Philadelphia in the last year of this deal. This opt-in that he did at $35.6 million. Now they may get to training camp and it may look different in Philly. They may have a James Harden who is not as enthusiastic about his return as they are. And then maybe they get more serious about it.

“But right now, I think the Harden talks, like Lillard, are going to linger into the summer.”

The Los Angeles Clippers and Harden are believed to have mutual interest.

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