3 teams besides the Heat who should consider risking it all for Damian Lillard

No. 1 team that should trade for Damian Lillard: Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers land at No. 1 because this would truly represent a team risking it all. Any Lillard trade to Philadelphia would have to involve Tyrese Maxey. There’s a three-team hypothetical built around James Harden floating in the ether for the local Philly optimist, but let’s keep it real. Harden’s trade value around the league is zilch. If the Clippers are haggling over Terance Mann for a player who finished top-10 on the NBA MVP ladder last season, it’s bleak.

In fact, there’s a decent chance the Sixers would have to combine the meager return from a Harden trade with Maxey to even pique Portland’s interest. The question is, should the Sixers do that? It would essentially leave them with a stripped-down roster built around two injury-prone stars and maybe, if they’re lucky, Tobias Harris. It would leave them with minimal draft capital, no meaningful young prospects, and a very tight title window with a superstar who has never won on the big stage.

That’s the definition of risky. And ultimately, the answer is probably yes. The Sixers have to give this Joel Embiid thing their best shot while it’s still possible and right now, the best shot involves Damian Lillard. He’s under contract for several more years with a skill set that should age gracefully. He’s also a tremendous complement to Embiid on paper. The Embiid-Lillard DHOs would wreck defenses the league over. Embiid has gotten used to more pick-and-rolls in his time with Harden and Nick Nurse, for all his offensive question marks, is probably well-suited to getting the most out of Lillard’s skill set.

If the Sixers can somehow keep Harden on board while fashioning a trade around Harris and Maxey, that’s the ideal outcome. It would take every last asset at Morey’s disposal, but Maxey carries more long-term value than Tyler Herro and there’s a chance Philly’s offer could surpass Miami’s on the value scale. Harden doesn’t want to be in Philly but he also has to perform in the final year of his contract, lest he give up any hope of a big payday next summer. One has to imagine the idea of playing with Embiid and Lillard could motivate him to at least give it the old college try.

Daryl Morey has spent his NBA lifetime married to the idea of star power winning championships. And, more often than not, it does. Much was made about Denver’s cohesion and togetherness as a factor in the Nuggets’ title run, but it also helps to have the best player in the world. The teams with the most talent tend to win out. Embiid and Lillard would give the Sixers a boatload of talent. Keeping Harden roped in the mix would make them borderline unstoppable on offense. It would also leave Embiid with a lot of messes to clean up on defense, but that’s where Nick Nurse’s expertise comes into play.

The Sixers would be fully in championship-or-bust territory here, and the bust potential would probably outweigh the championship potential. But, it’s the NBA. No risk, no reward. Philly fans would gleefully embrace a compromised future if it resulted in Joel Embiid and Damian Lillard parading down Broad Street.