NBA Rumors: Thunder could sneak into Damian Lillard trade sweepstakes

The Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers have made progress over the last 72 hours on the Damian Lillard trade front. The veteran point guard, who has four years and over $200 million left on his contract, has stipulated that he only wants to play for the Heat. That said, a recent NBA investigation prevents Lillard from publicly claiming his intention to play for one team and one team only.

While the general expectation is that Lillard will eventually end up in Miami, nothing is ever guaranteed in the NBA. The Blazers could keep Lillard into the regular season or even trade him to a team not on his wishlist.

NBA insider Chris Mannix went on 'The Crossover' podcast to discuss a potential surprise destination for the 33-year-old.

"If [Lillard] is still on the Blazers' roster in January," posits Mannix, "and if OKC is overachieving... Don't be surprised if they go out and make a run at Lillard."

This actually makes perfect sense. The Oklahoma City Thunder are blessed with depth at every position, a top-10 player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and a mountain of quality trade assets. OKC will be ready to contend sooner than the average NBA fan probably expects and when that time does come, Sam Presti's treasure chest of future picks will prove useful.

On paper, there isn't a better spot for Lillard. A lot of length and defensive talent to cover for his primary weakness, and a young core to help keep the team competitive for years to come as he inevitably transitions into more of a secondary star role.

OKC isn't as sexy as Miami, but the Thunder would be a great team and give Lillard a real shot at bringing the Larry O'Brien home. It's a shame he'd do everything in his power to prevent such an outcome.

NBA Rumors: Clippers shut down James Harden trade talks

The Los Angeles Clippers are out of the James Harden sweepstakes for now, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst. The Clippers "tried to trade for Harden," but ultimately shut off conversations with the Philadelphia 76ers after no adequate deals materialized. This comes after weeks of rumors suggesting a pervasive hesitance from LA to meet Daryl Morey's high asking price.

This is a tricky spot for all parties involved. The Clippers are running out of time to make something of the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era. Harden's price may be high in Morey's eyes, but it's not high relative to his on-court value. Harden was a top-20 NBA player last season, averaging 21.0 points and 10.7 assists on 60.7 TS%. This was a prime opportunity for the Clippers to swoop in and add a game-changing star for pennies on the dollar.

As for the Sixers, it's looking less and less likely that Harden gets dealt before training camp commences in early October. That's just fine by Morey, but Harden has stated his desire to leave rather unambiguously and the Sixers can't afford another messy camp. Nick Nurse is tasked with resetting the culture and building a winner. It's hard to keep your head above water if James Harden is intentionally poking holes in the raft.

Then there's Harden, who named the Clippers and only the Clippers as his desired destination. After his free agent market collapsed and no long-term offers came his way, Harden opted into the final year of his contract with hopes of forcing a trade and earning a payday with his new team. Well, even his handpicked ideal landing spot doesn't want him bad enough to make a real offer. The market is barren, and Harden may have misjudged his value in league circles. Can he afford a messy holdout situation with money on the line in his age-34 season? Probably not.

This is a complete fiasco. We shall see how it all goes down in a few weeks.

NBA Rumors: Jrue Holiday could determine Giannis Antetokounmpo's future with Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been remarkably forthright in recent interviews about his stance on the Milwaukee Bucks franchise: I love it here, but if we ever start losing, I'm going to take the first ticket out the door.

It's a very clear pressure tactic from Giannis to keep the Bucks' front office all-in on winning, which is where the front office should be as long as Giannis is on the roster. He still has a case for the 'Best Player in the World' label and he already carried the Bucks to a historic championship in 2021. The Bucks should have no qualms about expensive tax bills or win-now trades if it means Giannis decides to finish his career in Milwaukee green.

That said, league insider Bobby Marks recently made an appearance on 'SiriusXM NBA Radio' and theorized about the potential deciding factor in Giannis' future with Milwaukee.

"I would be concerned based on what happens with Jrue Holiday," says Marks.

Holiday can opt out of his contract at season's end, setting up a pivotal free agent period for Giannis' beloved co-star and the Bucks' top perimeter defender. There's no reason to believe Holiday wants to play anywhere but Milwaukee, but it's the NBA. Crazy things happen all the time and Holiday's market will require a sizable investment from Milwaukee. If the Bucks don't, well, buck up and pay, that could have dire ripple effects.

Assuming Holiday sticks around, Giannis probably will too. If the Bucks show even the remotest hesitance to pay top dollar for a contender, however, don't be shocked if the Giannis buzz grows louder. He's planting the seeds for a future trade request. The Bucks are hoping their weed-killer is strong enough.