5 NBA players who definitely aren’t getting traded this summer
By Ian Levy
The NBA trade rumor mill is a beast, perpetuating and proliferating rumors at a dizzying pace. As you would expect, nonsense occasionally get’s caught in the web. Here are five examples.
The idea of a reset is a powerful one. The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. If a team’s roster has demonstrated itself to be lacking in some way, it only makes sense to try and change it.
However, this assumption misses a ton of internal and external factors about chemistry, roster construction and the general business of basketball. Just because a player is unhappy or a team appears irrevocably flawed or Lakers and Celtics fans won’t stop crowing about how this player is destined to join them, doesn’t mean it’s actually going to happen.
Here are a few examples.
5. Damian Lillard
This regular season was pretty much the best-case scenario for the Portland Trail Blazers. They somehow cobbled together a top-10 defense, despite starting Lillard and CJ McCollum — two below-average defenders — in their backcourt. They improved from 41-41 to 49-33, establishing themselves as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and the best team in the non-Warriors/Rockets division.
And then they went out and got swept by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs. The defense crumbled and Lillard and McCollum were thoroughly muzzled by Jrue Holiday and company. Lillard has said he wants to compete for a title, even meeting with Portland’s owner before the season to make sure they were on the same page about their ultimate goal. It’s hard to imagine Portland improving on what they did this season, but Lillard still isn’t going anywhere.
His identity is so wrapped up with the team’s and the culture of Portland there is almost no way he pushes for a trade. Portland isn’t going to seriously entertain offers for him either. Lillard is still just 27 and there’s is growth to be had for both he and McCollum. Them organically taking a leap may be unlikely but it’s a much safer bet than trying to rebuild.