NBA Rumors: 5 best trade destinations for Damian Lillard to win championship

No. 3 Damian Lillard trade destination: Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers are still trying to figure out how to build a contender around Joel Embiid. Nothing seems to work — he’s either unhealthy or ineffective every time Philly advances to the second round, and his primary co-stars of late aren’t doing the trick.

Now James Harden is asking out, leaving the Sixers in a compromised position. What better way to solve the Harden conundrum than with another, arguably superior star guard in the form of Damian Lillard. He would certainly re-establish Philadelphia as a title threat in the East.

Lillard’s deadly pull-up shooting and playmaking out of pick-and-rolls would pair nicely with Embiid, who has gotten quite comfortable operating as a screener with Harden. Defenses would have headaches splitting their attention between Embiid’s prolific mid-range skill set and Lillard’s deep three-point gravity. Harden and Ben Simmons were both great playmakers; Harden demanded a fair amount of attention as a scorer too. But neither really compares to the constant scoring threat Lillard presents.

Philadelphia has struggled to get over the hump and the second unit has taken considerable losses in free agency, but why wouldn’t Lillard feel good about his chances next to a top-5 player and reigning MVP in Embiid? New head coach Nick Nurse should be viewed favorably by Lillard in this scenario too.