Sixers reportedly reached out to Trail Blazers about Damian Lillard

As the waiting game on Damian Lillard’s future lingers, the buzz surrounding any and all trade chatter is only going to get louder with the 2023-24 NBA season quickly approaching. 

While the Miami Heat have remained the hot-button topic in relation to Lillard, it hasn’t just been the Portland Trail Blazers and Heat chatting back-and-forth sporadically on the deal in the months that have followed the seven-time All-Star's trade request.

Beyond that, it’s likely a large number of teams reached out to the Blazers at some point in relation to Lillard to gauge how his trade market may look, but not many of them have been openly reported. According to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports, the Philadelphia 76ers have indeed spoken with the Blazers this offseason about a potential Lillard trade.

“Here’s what I can tell you that I know for sure. I know that the Sixers have certainly talked to the Blazers about Dame at different points throughout this offseason,” Neubeck said on the PHLY Sixers Podcast.

Before Sixers fans get overly excited about the idea, Neubeck was quick to point out that “talking” to a team about a trade is very different than putting together a “credible trade package.” It is noteworthy that the two parties reportedly spoke at different points to discuss Lillard, especially considering the Sixers' current situation surrounding its own guard James Harden and his trade request.

Where Lillard lands and when/if a Harden trade happens are going to be the biggest talking points as training camps get underway and the new NBA season draws near. 

But for now, fans of all teams will be left watching and waiting, and when you factor in Lillard’s own widely reported desire to land with the Heat, it only adds to the head-scratching throughout this process.