NBA Trade Rumors: Blazers Continue to Eye 'Win-Now Talent' to Help Damian Lillard

The Portland Trail Blazers are reportedly on a mission to find some help for Damian Lillard.

Sources say the Blazers are prepared to package Anfernee Simons and the No. 3 pick for "win-now talent" that can play with Lillard, Marc Stein reported Friday on his Substack.

"Teams interested in trading for Lillard, meanwhile, continue to root for Portland's inability to find a suitable win-now trade in the hope that it finally prompts Lillard to seek his exit from the Pacific Northwest," Stein wrote.

Lillard joined the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Dončić and the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid as the only NBA players to average over 32 points per game last season, but the Blazers still missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year.

The clock is ticking on the Blazers' time with Lillard, who turns 33 this summer. He just had one of the best seasons of his career. Now, he wants to put up those All-Star numbers for a team with a chance to win.

If the Blazers want to continue building their team around their star guard, it appears they must trade this year's No. 3 selection, because Lillard has said he does not want to wait for another young player to develop.

"I'm just not interested in that. That's not a secret,'' Lillard said after Portland finished out the season with a 157-101 loss to the Golden State Warriors on April 9, per The Athletic's Jason Quick. "I want a chance to go for it. And if the route is to (draft youth), then that's not my route."

If the Blazers had ended up with the No. 1 pick and a shot at a generational talent in Victor Wembanyama, they might have had to stick with the young talent. But at the third selection, this pick could serve the team best as part of a trade for a veteran.

Portland is also reportedly prepared to deal Simons, who trailed only Lillard by scoring 21.1 points per game for the Blazers last season. Last season was Simons' first campaign as a starter, and he showed he could handle the minutes. He also just turned 24, and he's signed on for three more seasons, so there are plenty of upsides to keeping him.

If the Blazers are hoping to get a superstar out of this deal, however, the team might need the cap relief from Simons' $24.1 million contract in order to fit another big name alongside Lillard on the roster.

Either way, the decision Portland makes with this pick will shape the team's future—and decide whether or not that future involves Lillard.