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Grade the Trade: Golden State Warriors bring Lillard back home in new pitch

By Josh Cornelissen

PORTLAND, OREGON - MAY 18: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers dribbles against Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half in game three of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Moda Center on May 18, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - MAY 18: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers dribbles against Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half in game three of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Moda Center on May 18, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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Golden State Warriors
Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns. Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images /

Laying out a Damian Lillard trade

The math on a trade for Damian Lillard gets tricky very quickly. Because the Warriors are over the first apron (they’re over the second, but for this league year that doesn’t matter here) they need to get within ten percent of Damian Lillard’s $45.6 million contract. Without trading a member of their current starting lineup — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney — there is only one real configuration that works.

Keep in mind, once the trade with the Washington Wizards is completed to bring Chris Paul to Golden State, Paul cannot be aggregated in a deal for 2 months. It’s unlikely all parties would want to hang in limbo for that long. To make this deal, therefore, the Warriors have a small window to combine it with the Wizards deal before that goes through.

Assuming everything about that deal stays the same (and it doesn’t have to; there are alternate constructions sending Jusuf Nurkic to the Wizards for extra draft compensation), the Warriors can reroute Paul straight from Washington to Portland. Removing Washington for simplicity’s sake, here is what would be moving between Portland and Golden State:

There is no other viable way for the Warriors to stack salaries to get to Lillard’s number, but the pieces involved make sense for the Blazers either way. Gary Payton II returns, perhaps unwillingly given his issues with their medical staff, but he’s an easy candidate to be flipped to a contender now or by the trade deadline. Paul is actually an intriguing addition not simply as an expiring contract but as a veteran mentor to Scoot Henderson.

Jonathan Kuminga is the real prize for Portland here. A team that has seemed wholly incapable of drafting and developing forwards gets a high-upside one in Kuminga, who adds a lot of athleticism and would make for a fascinating pairing with Jerami Grant for as long as Grant is on the team.

This deal is worse than what the Brooklyn Nets could offer if they pushed most of their chips in, but it probably beats a deal by the Miami Heat or LA Clippers. Let’s assume for the moment that Portland gives this the thumbs up; would the Warriors make this deal?

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