Blazer's Edge

Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via John Hollinger and David Aldridge expect movement, but not necessarily now. As NBA training camp season approaches, the heat around Damian Lillard’s trade request from the Portland Trail Blazers is starting to reach a boil. The opening of the new season provides a natural deadline for the Blazers to get a deal done, but rumors around the actual process remain sketchy. This week NBA experts David Aldridge, John Hollinger, and Sam Amick got together for The Athletic [subscription required] to talk about pre-season storylines, Lillard...

The Blazers exec has a new book coming out. Former Portland Trail Blazers General Manager and lead executive Bob Whitsitt had a storied, and occasionally tumultuous, run at the helm of his franchise. He took over the team in 1994 after having served with the Seattle SuperSonics in a similar capacity. He continued with the Blazers through 2003, overseeing the trade of Clyde Drexler, the acquisition of Rasheed Wallace and Scottie Pippen, and countless other moves. “Trader Bob” has authored a book on his life as a professional sports executive. Game Changer: An Insider’s...

Photo by Alika Jenner/ Little is free of his rookie contract. Can he finally stay on the court, contributing on a consistent basis? Offseason reports touting Nassir Little’s summer workouts have become an annual tradition among Portland Trail Blazers scribes. This week, Jacked Ramsay’s Danny Marang offered this year’s instalment suggesting “Nas has looked incredible physically”. The yearly rigmarole invariably raises the hopes of Blazers fans before a soul-crushing ailment sidelines the athletic wing during the season. This lack of durability has resulted in...

Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Damian Lillard could be traded by the Portland Trail Blazers very soon. The Portland Trail Blazers have been linked to the Toronto Raptors and other teams in trade rumors surrounding point guard Damian Lillard as his request remains unfulfilled. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on NBA Today that additional assets such as draft capital could sway the Blazers to facilitate a deal not involving the Miami Heat. “Can they pick up a couple draft picks to take on some money? Is there a need they have that they can get in a three or...

Photo by James Gilbert/ The NBA is making some rule changes regarding challenges. Monty McCutchen, senior vice president of referee development and training, reported that the NBA will see a few rule changes for the upcoming season through a small conference call with reporters The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported. In a small conference call with a few NBA reporters, McCutchen outlined two major rule changes: assessing technicals for egregious flopping and the awarding of a second coach’s challenge. The league also is tightening what can be considered a “rip...

Photo by Alika Jenner/ Lamar Stevens played his first three NBA seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, he signs with the Boston Celtics. An Eastern Conference contender is bolstering their defense, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Free agent G/F Lamar Stevens has agreed to a deal with the Boston Celtics, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Stevens established himself as a defensive presence for the Cavs, starting in 25 of 62 games last season. Agent Scott Nichols completed deal with Celtics officials. Stevens, 26, played his first three NBA seasons with...

Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Could Deandre Ayton get involved in this mess somehow? After the 92nd spin of the summer, the Damian Lillard trade roulette wheel has ended up on the Phoenix Suns. Rumors began surfacing late this afternoon that Phoenix may be involved in potential Lillard trade scenarios, not directly, but as a facilitator. The buzz began with Arizona sports radio personality John Gambadoro, who was ahead of the curve on the Kevin Durant-to-Phoenix deal last year. Gambadoro tweeted that, in the wake of any potential Lillard trade, Trail Blazers center...

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports Much of what has been presented as a new development is anything but. As the “Damian Lillard wants the Miami Heat” saga drags well into its third month, social media is full of declarations that a deal is imminent. Sometimes it’s clearly wishful thinking but other times it’s based on a quote from the likes of Woj or Shams or other respected NBA journalists. Take this recent offering for example: The Blazers want the Heat to empty out all of their assets for Damian Lillard, per Brian Windhorst “They want the Heat to literally...

Photo by Abbie Parr/ The Blazers star was candid and thoughtful on both his on-court and off-court lifestyle during a two-hour appearance on the BACKONFIGG podcast. Although the noise surrounding the next move in Damian Lillard’s trade saga remains to be discovered, the Portland Trail Blazers superstar has, at least, remained vocal throughout the offseason. Appearing on multiple podcasts this week, Lillard joined the “BACKONFIGG” show yesterday, entertaining topics such as his relationship with the Blazers’ front office, his 11-year title pursuit, sneakers,...

Photo by Michael Reaves/ A new team has entered the chat. The Portland Trail Blazers’ trade saga with Damian Lillard is heating up of late, as reports continue to leak of new teams entering the mix to land the seven-time NBA All-Star. Yesterday, it was the Toronto Raptors. Today, a new team from the Eastern Conference has emerged as a sleeper candidate, according to Kyle Neubeck of the PHLY Sports Network. Neubeck said on the “PHLY Philadelphia Sixers Podcast” he heard the Chicago Bulls have interest in Lillard. On today's @PHLY_Sixers pod, we discussed the...

Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via What the heck? But ok. We’ve done the Blazer’s Edge Mailbag for years and years and years now. Sometimes the questions readers submit are insightful, sometimes full of pathos, other times just odd. Like this one. I don’t even know why we’re running with it, but let’s see what happens. Dave, What kind of food are the Blazers right now? Seriously if you had to describe them as a food item, what would it be? Jim Weirdest. Question. Ever. But ok. As much as I’d like to come up with a brilliantly creative answer,...

Photo by Allen Berezovsky/ The second-year player carries great hopes. Portland Trail Blazers wing Shaedon Sharpe has been named among the Second Year NBA Players to Watch by Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. Sharpe ranks alongside Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams, and Walker Kessler as an intriguing sophomore looking to make a splash this season. Aschburner’s praise for Sharpe is more muted than for the obvious Sophomore of the Year candidates, but he still credits the potential phenom as a Top 10 prospect: Rookie notes: Had Sharpe done over most of 2022-23 what he did in...

Photo by Chris Marion/NBAE via Is Dame leaving the worst thing ever, or have Blazers fans felt more pain? Damian Lillard’s trade request to move from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Miami Heat has been talked about incessantly since he made it in early July. Seemingly no stone has been unturned. Except this one. Leave it to Blazer’s Edge Readers to come up with a new angle, the subject of today’s Blazer’s Edge Mailbag. Dave! Dame is among the three best Blazers ever. All of them have been traded or will shortly be traded. I want to know where Dame’s trade...

Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via The Portland Trail Blazers could look to trade Damian Lillard to the Toronto Raptors. The Damian Lillard trade request saga appears to be taking another turn. While the Portland Trail Blazers guard hopes to be dealt to the Miami Heat, that hasn’t stopped other teams from wanting to trade for him. “I’ve heard that it’s not just one team, that multiple teams in the East [called for Dame], the Raptors being one of them,” Matt Moore said on the Locked On NBA podcast. “That’s the thing nobody is really saying, but everyone...

Photo by Steph Chambers/ Damian Lillard is looking for a trade, but it won’t be to the Golden State Warriors. Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard may have requested a trade, but there’s one team in particular he isn’t looking to join. During an appearance on the It Is What It Is podcast, Lillard explained why he had no desire in being traded to the Golden State Warriors. “I respect what they’ve been doing over the last eight, nine years or whatever, and I’m from there obviously. That’s home. But I can’t go be a part of that,” Lillard said....