The Off-Season Rumor Mill Is Already Heating Up In The NBA

The offseason rumor mill is already heating up in the NBA, and we are only about halfway through the Finals. With the draft and free agency period just weeks away at this point, don’t expect any rumors you hear to subside anytime soon.

Two of the biggest rumors about players who could be on the move this offseason are Damian Lillard and Ben Simmons. The rumors of both players potentially being shipped out of Portland and Philadelphia, respectively, have only gotten louder since both teams were eliminated from post-season play.

For Simmons, it looks like a case of the Sixers finally having reached the end of their rope where Ben’s shooting, or lack thereof, is concerned. Once he [Simmons] passed up an easy dunk in game seven against the Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs, it was quite apparent at that very moment that Ben’s career in Philly was likely coming to an end, sooner rather than later. If it wasn’t clear enough at that moment, then it should have been crystal clear after the game when both head coach Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid had less than uplifting comments about Simmons and his future with the team.

THE ART OF THE TRADE

Knowing the history of the man in charge in Philly, Daryl Morey, then it shouldn’t be surprising to hear Simmons’ name involved in trade rumors at this time. Morey has never been afraid to pull the trigger on a big deal. That goes for bringing in or shipping a star player out of town. To be a successful general manager in the NBA, you cannot be afraid of taking risks. Playing it safe all the time will not cut it. Now you certainly want to take calculated risks but risks, nonetheless.

Lillard’s situation is a little different in Portland. Yet it is similar in the sense that it is highly likely Lillard is finished with the Blazers. For Dame, I feel like his departure is more likely to take place during the 2022 offseason. As opposed to Simmons, who will probably be shipped out in the next few weeks if that is going to happen. There is always the possibility that they get traded for each other.

The money would line up nicely since you must match contracts in the NBA, but you would be right to assume that the Blazers will want either another player along with Simmons, draft picks, or both. As great as Simmons is at everything outside of shooting the ball, we know the name of today’s game is shooting and scoring. Neither of which Simmons regularly displays in his repertoire.

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A MURKY SITUATION

Until recently Lillard had proclaimed his unwavering loyalty to the Blazers and the city of Portland. That is until Blazers fans showed their “loyalty” to him upon hearing of Lillard’s endorsement of Chauncey Billups as the team’s new head coach. That came after fans and local media raised such a fuss about Jason Kidd potentially being the next head coach in Portland that Kidd removed himself from the consideration.

It’s one thing to be upset about both Kidd and Billups’ alleged past indiscretions. To take it out the way the city of Portland did on Lillard in behind the hiring of Billups is despicable. As someone who has lived in the PDX area, it is not shocking. And in no way does this excuse the accusations brought against Billups stemming from a 1997 incident where he and two teammates were accused of sexual assault. Billups later settled that case out of court.

Lillard had nothing to do with that incident, of course, being somewhere around seven or eight years old at the time of the incident. There had been no real mention of the case in close to 20 years among the mainstream media. Not even while Billups was still playing once he left the Boston Celtics. It is interesting how self-righteous some people can be when it suits them.

Most Blazers supporters in Portland are also fans and some even alumni of the University of Oregon Ducks. You never hear anyone talk about the Ducks men’s basketball coach Dana Altman and how he allowed an accused rapist to transfer into his program. Then once Altman was allegedly aware of the accusations, he still allowed the accused student-athlete to continue to play in 2014. While Altman was not accused himself, neither was Lillard. See what I’m getting at? Exactly.

Since this whole ordeal and Lillard witnessing the reaction of fans and local media around Portland, his tune has seemed to change, and the theme of “loyalty” may be a thing of the past. The fallout of all this will be interesting to follow and see where Lillard winds up.

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ONE TEAM INTERESTED IN BOTH PLAYERS

One team that has popped up in conversations about both Lillard and Simmons is the Golden State Warriors. Lillard and Steph Curry sound like a dream backcourt, offensively. Defensively not so much as they would be among the smallest backcourts in the league. But the two would by far be the most exciting, most potent scoring backcourt in the league, hands down.

While I don’t see that trade happening, Simmons to the Warriors feels a lot more tangible. The Warriors will likely need to ship out Draymond Green if they plan to bring in Simmons since neither guy is known as a shooter around the league. But maybe head coach Steve Kerr could figure out a way to make it work, who knows.

However, you look at it, for Lillard and Simmons, their days feel numbered in their current NBA homes. The next few weeks will be extremely important for both players as their futures seem to be up in the air for the time being.