Damian Lillard to the Warriors? A Fun, But Not Feasible Fit

The Golden State Warriors have to get a pulse on every available player on their radar, big or small. So when chatter grew of Damian Lillard’s possible displeasure with the Portland Trail Blazers, it’d be foolish if all 29 other NBA teams didn’t at least look into acquiring the star point guard. For some franchises there’s groundwork for a deal, and for others it’s a longshot. For Golden State, they fall into the latter scenario.

And yet they wouldn’t be doing themselves justice if they didn’t at least ponder the possibility of acquiring Damian Lillard, which was recently reported. Per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater:

"Yes. They’d make a call and have already internally discussed the idea, as I’m sure most contenders have, considering the rising smoke out of Portland."

It’s been a consistent theme after seeing Lillard and the Trail Blazers depart the playoffs early every postseason: that the Warriors should bring Dame back to his Bay Area roots. Since he entered the league in 2012, it almost seemed a certainty that Lillard would stay in Portland for his entire career. Now is the first legitimate rumblings of a potential departure, even if the chances are slim.

Should Golden State entertain the thought of trading for Lillard, and how would he fit alongside the Warriors’ core? More importantly, is a deal even feasible and if so, what would Golden State be giving up in return?

Third Splash Brother

If the Warriors were to acquire Damian Lillard (more on that later) it would have to be accomplished so that they would be able to have him see the court next to Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. That cap bill would be a huge number, but the cost (in the eyes of Joe Lacob and company) would justify having the peak floor-spacing offense in the league. With Curry and Lillard each a threat to pull up from half court, and with Thompson automatic from behind the arc, defenses may never be able to step away from the perimeter. The ultimate floor spacing would be a dream for players making their money at the rim. Imagine the wide-open lanes in transition.

In regards to the lineup, you’d envision Dame at the point, with Curry moving to the two, while each could take turns bringing up the ball. The benefit here is that Curry is just as lethal off the ball, so moving to shooting guard wouldn’t hinder his capability. Thompson could move to SF, with Draymond either at the four or five, depending if Golden State wants to go small.

Two-way impact

The benefits of course come with some challenges, as adding Dame to the lineup wouldn’t necessarily make their roster better defensively, and we know the Warriors pride themselves on their defense. Lillard is a capable defender, but one could make the case that bringing in Dame serves the offense more than the defense. Does it imply that Lillard makes a team worse offensively? Not at all, but in a scenario where Dame suits up for the Warriors, you’d imagine Golden State’s rotations would be altered, and most importantly, the Warriors would be giving away valuable players that assist on the defensive end.

If offensive firepower matters more than the stout defense, then Golden State would envision winning games by outscoring their opponents more often than not. Perhaps that works a majority of the time in the regular season, but come postseason where rotations tighten and defensive adjustments are made, it’s not always a recipe for success.

Is a deal even feasible?

If the Blazers were to accept that Lillard’s tenure in Portland was over, they’d be wise to only accept a haul in return, likely a combination of a player or two plus draft compensation. Their first priority should be to attempt to find a replacement for Lillard at the point guard position, and it's unlikely Golden State can help contribute to that need. That fact plus the financials at play, likely means any deal would require an additional team to assist.

In regards to what the Warriors would be giving up (at least), you’d envision that the seventh and fourteenth picks in the 2021 draft are up for grabs, in addition to Andrew Wiggins and James Wiseman. Wiggins showed a huge improvement last season as a two-way player, and Wiseman still has plenty of potential if his game develops accordingly. For starters, that would be the base package to get even a glimpse of the conversation going, and it's worth asking whether losing the defensive ability of Wiggins, plus the upside of Wiseman, is worth the price of adding Lillard (who is soon-to-be 31 years old). Lillard plus the core three would all be in their 30s, and Golden State (ideally) wants to win multiple championships in the future, not just one more.

From the Warriors side, they have to envision that the only way a transaction would appeal to them is if they can keep the core of Curry, Thompson, and Green intact, welcoming Lillard as the fourth star. How likely is that end result even possible? Portland would have to be incredibly desperate to allow Lillard to depart without getting a haul of assets that includes a notable name from the Warriors in return. Also, Portland might opt to trade away Lillard to an Eastern Conference team, instead of bolstering an already competitive Western Conference.

A lineup of Lillard, Curry, Thompson, and Green? Of course, sounds like a terrifying offensive lineup, but questions linger whether the defense can match the firepower of the offense. Adding starpower doesn’t necessarily guarantee a deep postseason run, it helps to have depth across the roster, as we see currently with the Suns in the NBA Finals. The Warriors have to at least entertain the possibility, but the reality is that such a deal to land Damian Lillard in Golden State likely remains exactly that: a possibility.