Why Philadelphia should go all-in for Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard's Stockholm syndrome finally wore off on Saturday when he requested a trade out of Portland. Unsurprisingly, the five-year, $160 million given to Jerami Grant didn't impress the seven-time All-Star much.

Afterward, Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes reported that Miami is his preferred destination, but that shouldn't stop the 76ers from pulling out the full-court press to get Lillard. 

Admittedly, a deal between the Trail Blazers and Heat could be a lot cleaner as Philadelphia would probably need to work with a third team to get a deal done.

Luckily for the Sixers, James Harden requested a trade with an eye on the Clippers, making a three-team deal between the 76ers, Clippers and Trail Blazers something worth considering.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst laid out the assets Philadelphia could trade to Portland, most notably rising young point guard Tyrese Maxey. The Clippers could shed the salaries of guards Norman Powell and Terrence Mann and forward Nicolas Batum in a trade to Portland while receiving Harden from Philly. 

In a trade with Miami, the Heat could send Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and picks to Portland. In either scenario, the Trail Blazers will be much worse in 2023-24. ESPN's Trade Machine predicts Portland would be six games worse than it was this past season when it went 33-49 by agreeing to the three-team deal and 10 games worse if accepting the Miami trade.

Lillard averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game in 58 games last season and has averaged 25.2 points during his 11-year career.

With Harden having one foot out the door, Lillard represents the 76ers' best chance to get Embiid an All-Star talent to play alongside.

He's also one of the best clutch performers in the NBA, memorably knocking the Rockets out of the playoffs in 2014 with a buzzer-beater to end the best-of-seven series. He was somehow even more clutch in 2019 when he hit a deep three at the buzzer to cap a 50-point performance that ended the Thunder's season. 

Compared to Harden's multiple no-shows in high-stakes playoff games over the years, Lillard would be a godsend for the Sixers.

Losing Maxey would undoubtedly hurt but Lillard on the Heat could hurt Philadelphia a lot more.