Damian Lillard, Zion Williamson's Top Trade Landing Spots After 2023 NBA Draft
A number of teams around the league hope they landed their next franchise-altering superstar during Thursday's NBA draft, but much of the draft is based on hope.
There could be a handful of players who have already established themselves as stars available via trade as the offseason continues.
Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers and Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans jump out in particular, and there has been no shortage of rumors around either this offseason.
With that in mind, here is a look at some potential landing spots for both.
Damian Lillard
- Miami Heat
- Philadelphia 76ers
- New York Knicks
Zion Williamson
- Portland Trail Blazers
- New York Knicks
- Los Angeles Clippers
Things got even more interesting with the Blazers on Thursday when they selected Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 overall pick of the NBA draft.
While Henderson is an excellent player with sky-high potential, he is also just 19 years old. He is the type of foundational player a rebuilding club can use as a cornerstone as it looks toward the future, but the 32-year-old Lillard surely isn't interested in a multi-year project at this stage of his career.
It seems like he will take his time deciding what he wants to push for this offseason, as Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Thursday (h/t RealGM) that "the timeline for when the future will land with Damian Lillard likely extends now between tonight and the start of free agency and into free agency."
The Miami Heat jump out as the most obvious landing spot after Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes previously reported the reigning Eastern Conference champions were focused on the seven-time All-Star since there is "genuine belief this could be the offseason the veteran guard seeks a change of scenery."
Miami has made three of the last four Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals during that span, but it has not had enough elite talent around Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo to put it over the top.
Lillard would provide that elite talent that has been missing.
The Heat aren't the only Eastern Conference team that could use a bump come championship time, as the Philadelphia 76ers have failed to make it past the second round throughout the Joel Embiid era.
James Harden has a player option for next season and could look to move elsewhere this offseason, which would immediately put Philadelphia in the market for a playmaking guard who could play a two-man game with Embiid.
Lillard would be an ideal fit, and opposing defenses would be caught in nightmarish situations having to extend beyond the arc to account for his shooting all while dealing with Embiid in the frontcourt. Such an addition would put championship-or-bust expectations on the 76ers, but they may finally have enough talent to break through once the second round arrives.
The New York Knicks can never be counted out when it comes to superstar landing spots, which makes them a potential destination for both Lillard and Williamson.
It's not just the big market, though.
As RealGM breaks down, New York has 2024 first-round picks from the Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards (with some protections), as well as a 2025 one from the Milwaukee Bucks. That is plenty of draft capital to choose from, and it could look to move some of those picks along with a player or two in a Lillard or Williamson trade.
The Knicks would give Lillard in particular a spotlight that he has never had in Portland, and it wouldn't be difficult to envision them challenging for a deep playoff run with him leading the way after reaching the second round this past season.
A deep playoff run could also happen with Williamson, as he and Jalen Brunson could work in pick-and-rolls with the Duke product as a rim-runner. The forward would likely become a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden if he could stay healthy, especially when he unleashed a rim-rattling dunk in a key moment.
Another possibility is Lillard remains in Portland and the team looks to surround him with more win-now pieces.
That makes the Blazers a potential landing spot for Williamson, especially if Portland decides to move Henderson. Charania's Thursday report also pointed out that "several teams, including the New Orleans Pelicans, reached out" regarding the prospect, although Portland rebuffed the offers.
Perhaps it will change its mind after discussions with Lillard and instead look to move its new guard along with someone like Anfernee Simons for another All-Star caliber player who could raise the immediate ceiling.
While Williamson comes with plenty of health concerns, he has been dominant when he is on the floor and would be quite the tandem with Lillard.
Another Western Conference team that could be a landing spot for Williamson is the Los Angeles Clippers. They have fallen short of the championship-or-bust expectations in place since pairing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and may look to switch things up in the near future.
In fact, NBA reporter Marc Stein reported Tuesday that there is some belief the team is "attempting to gauge Paul George's trade value and, to hear some describe it, giving real consideration to the idea of disassembling the Kawhi Leonard/George tandem."
A trade that sent George to the Pelicans and Williamson to the Clippers would allow both franchises to reset from star players with durability concerns and move in a different direction.
It would be a blockbuster move, but it wouldn't be the NBA offseason without a few of those.
