Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard has been linked to the Brooklyn Nets ever since he attended Game 3 of Brooklyn’s first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Not to mention, Lillard has spoken about Nets guard Mikal Bridges in glowing terms that give the impression of a close relationship between the two players.
What makes the Lillard-Brooklyn connection interesting is that the Nets are heading into an offseason that could prove to be pivotal for how the next few years will transpire. After trading superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving at the February trade deadline, Brooklyn was able to get draft picks and good, young players like Bridges and Cam Johnson as compensation.
However, since the Nets were swept by Philadelphia despite having good chances to win Game 3 and Game, the organization has some thinking to do on how it wants to move forward. Given that the Houston Rockets essentially control Brooklyn’s draft picks for the next few seasons thanks to the James Harden trade that brought him to the Nets, it may be better to try to maximize what they have right now.
Among other matters, Brooklyn has to figure out how injured guard Ben Simmons fits in the team’s timeline as well as trying to keep Cam Johnson with the organization. If Brooklyn is looking to win now, Keith McPherson of the “Talkin’ Nets” podcast says that Lillard is a good place for the Nets to start:
“So, I think Damian Lillard is a good place for us (the Nets) to start. Now, I know it sounds far fetched. Oh, Dame is never leaving Portland. What are they going to give? What are you going to give? Well, that’s why I started with Ben Simmons. Ben Simmons should be in that deal. And Ben Simmons, that contract is ridiculous. But, Ben Simmons might be able to work on his back and get right and have some value to a team. We’ll see this summer with workouts. Damian Lillard would be a dream, right? Damian Lillard, you know what time it is. Dame time! Damian Lillard is exactly what the nets need. They need a guard that can shoot, that can literally take over the game, that can end the game, that can be clutch. They didn’t have that scorer in these playoffs, and they were swept.”
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Story originally appeared on Nets Wire