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Damian Lillard Leaves Sixers Off List of Trade Destinations

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Author and Dylan MacKinnon
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 08: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers dribbles against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on March 08, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Damian Lillard has been the white whale for Sixers fans for a while now. Going back to when Ben Simmons first quit on the team, Dame was the guy Sixers fans seemed to want the most.

The problem was, Dame is a bit of a tease. He would suggest he wants out of Portland one day. But then on the next day, he would publicly recommit to the Trail Blazers. It turned out that he was never moved from Portland. The Sixers pivoted to James Harden once he asked out of Brooklyn, and that seemed to have been that.

But now, James Harden may be out of Philly. Like Dame often is, Harden is being wishy-washy. His camp is putting out reports that he wants to go back to Houston, but also that he wants to stay in Philly. After his most recent performance in the playoffs, many Sixers fans will prefer that he leaves for Houston. But if he does, that will leave the Sixers in need of a PG. And so the Damian Lillard rumors crop up again.

…

He gave us some hope after the Sixers were eliminated when he tweeted about how much he loves the Sixers roster. But his most recent comments are going to hurt Sixers fans. He went on Showtime’s The Last Stand and spoke about whether or not he wants to be traded. As per usual, he was noncommittal. He said he wants to be a contender in Portland. But he did say that if they can’t build a contending team, there might have to be a different conversation.

So he may finally be willing to ask out. The issue for us comes from where he wants to go. Many Sixers fans assumed he would like to play here. But at least when he was on The Last Stand, he had different teams in mind.

“Miami is the obvious one. Bam is my dog. Brooklyn is another obvious one because Mikail Bridges is my dog too. Both have capable rosters.”

The Celtics and the Knicks also came up. The one team missing is the Sixers. Now does that mean he does not want to play here? No. But it does mean he has different destinations at the front of his mind.

The Dame Lillard stuff may literally be our Moby Dick. We obsess over it, but it’s an end goal that will only end in sadness. The Sixers should 100% be in on him if he becomes available. But for the sake of our mental health, it may be better if we focus on more realistic options, and then just be pleasantly surprised if it somehow does happen.

7 Things We Learned When Nick Nurse Joined The Best Show Ever

The Sixers have a new head coach. After yet another 2nd round exit, they decided it was time for a coaching change. Doc Rivers was fired, and the head coach search began. Although Daryl Morey told us it would be a long search, it turns out that was not true. Nick Nurse was the first guy the Sixers interviewed. They brought in a couple more guys for an interview, but they went back to the fire interview. A few days back it was reported the Sixers were hiring Nick Norse to be their next coach. And today they introduced Nick Nurse as the next head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.

He spoke to the media for the first time today, giving Sixers fans their first taste of what he is like. but shortly after that, he also joined us on the Best Show Ever. He talked about a range of things. His plans to get more out of Embiid. What type of defense he would run? What he thinks Tyrese Maxey’s ceiling could be. Why he chose to coach the Sixers when he reportedly had other offers? What type of person Sixers fans will be seeing in him as the coach And much more.

Here is some of what Nick Nurse had to say when he joined us earlier today:

  • Why He Chose Philadelphia

    “There are 3 things you evaluate when you are lucky enough to have a choice. The roster, which I know from competing against, and really like it. The front office. I have known Daryl for a long time. His track record of putting together a roster speaks for itself. And then ownership, and you have great owners here.”

  • His First Job As Coach

    “The first thing you have to do is get a vison for the season. You say the vison is to win a championship, and it is. But there are a lot of things in that vision. How you will play. How you do accountabillity. Philosophies. All kind of things go into that. That is the plan that follows that vison.”

  • On If He Can Get More Out Of Embiid

    “Well I hope so. Each year a player needs to strive to get better. Getting more out of him means winning a championship. The numbers may not be the same but that doesn’t matter when you get to the playoffs. Getting a little bit out of him  and some other guys will be important.”

  • On Tyrese Maxey

    “I think he has a super bright future. He has a combination of a bunch of things that make him exciting. First of all he loves the game. His work ethic. He has a tremendous amount of god given ability. And he is getting better fast. If he can continue to stay with things, I think he has a super super bright future.”

  • On How Aggressive His Defense Will Be

    “I like to be aggressive an put pressure and take things away. Our coaching staff will do a good job of designing schemes. But it’s a little bit too early. All it needs to do is what fits them.  Hopefully at times when we need it it is really nasty. At certain points that defense needs to be tough. Defense still wins.”

  • On What Kind Of Human Being He Is

    “First off all, I am the youngest of 9. That environment is very good for becoming a basketball coach You wake up and you are fighting for a bowl and some cereal. That is what it feels like when the ball goes up. I instinctively kick in to start fighting for a win. When people leave the game, I hope people are saying those guys played hard. They did everything they could to win the game. That is the main focus of my job. To max out the effort and max out what guys are capable of.”

  • On Philly Fans

    “I have experienced it, playing here all the time. We like it. The energy in that arena is unique and special. Hopefully we can use that as a positive.”

  • You Can Listen To The Full Conversation Below

Dylan MacKinnon is The Digital Content Coordinator For 97.5 The Fanatic. he has been an Eagles, Flyers, Sixers, and Flyers fan his whole life. He graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelors in Journalism. Dylan has worked at the Fanatic since 2016, starting as an Intern, moving to the Street team, and eventually was hired as an Associate Producer before settling into his current role in the Digital Department. You may hear him referred to on-air as "The D-Train."

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