It’s likely safe to say that no other NBA player has been named in trade rumors this offseason more than Portland Trail Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard, who requested a trade from the Trail Blazers to the Miami Heat over two months ago.
He may be getting some company on the trade block, however. A new update indicates that another Trail Blazers starter could hit the trade block in addition to Lillard.
“There’s some belief Jusuf Nurkić could get moved at some point,” said NBA insider Brian Windhorst. “It may depend on what they get in the Lillard trade.”
Nurkic, 29, was selected with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and has played for two teams — the Denver Nuggets and Trail Blazers — across his nine seasons in the NBA. He averaged 13.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 52 appearances with the Trail Blazers during the 2022-23 regular season (all starts).
Arguably Nurkic’s best season in the NBA came during the 2018-19 season. He averaged 15.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.4 blocks per game across 72 appearances during the regular season for a Trail Blazers team that went on to reach the Western Conference Finals while he was sidelined for the playoffs with an injury.
Meanwhile, Lillard was selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft following a four-season stint playing college basketball at Weber State University. Lillard averaged 18.6 points per game during his time there.
The 6-foot-2 point guard has played 11 seasons in the NBA, all as a member of the Trail Blazers franchise. He averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game in 58 appearances with Portland during the 2022-23 regular season (all starts).
Those numbers were good enough for Lillard to earn an All-Star nod — the seventh of his pro career — as well as a spot on the All-NBA Third Team.
The report from Windhorst indicates that the Trail Blazers are potentially willing to trade two of their best players. The likelihood of the Blazers trading away both players in the same deal is unclear, but any future updates may provide some helpful information.
