3 reasons why the Warriors probably won’t trade for Damian Lillard

1. Klay Thompson’s value is down, and Warriors would never do him like that

If he were healthy, one could argue Lillard for Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson would make some sense. He is a great 3-and-D guy with no interest in dribbling the basketball whatsoever. Thompson spent many of his formative years in the Portland suburb of Lake Oswego. Unfortunately, he has not played the last two seasons after suffering a pair of brutal leg injuries.

Thompson is on the wrong side of 30, and while he and Lillard are roughly the same age, one player’s career is still on the uptick, while the other will likely have to figure out his new role as a supporting player in this league. Given that Thompson has spent his whole career in Golden State, do you think the Warriors organization would do him dirty like that and trade him at this point?

Because Thompson’s health is a major concern, Golden State would have to give up a player whose number will be retired by the organization, along with significant draft compensation in a deal for Lillard. It just feels like there so many bad karmic implications by potentially making this trade. Thompson may not retire as a Warrior, but trading him for Lillard does not feel right at all.

Overall, Golden State could have one of the best scoring offenses in all of basketball with Lillard paired next to Curry. However, the Warriors would be so much worse defensively, as well as seeing their limited depth even further depleted. Of course, the Warriors would be a playoff team with Lillard, but how sure are we this variation of Golden State gets out of the first round any way?

Lillard to the Warriors would be intriguing, but the fit wouldn’t be seamless and it would be costly.