We've seen Damian Lillard go coast to coast in games, but we could also see him go coast to coast this offseason.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks will be "ready to pounce" should the Trail Blazers All-Star guard be made available this summer.
Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes painted a bleak picture of Lillard's time in Portland, with diminishing returns and early playoff exits
The Knicks have enough cap space and ample trade ammunition to at least sniff around on a deal featuring Lillard; New York currently sits with five first-round picks in the next three NBA drafts in part because of the Kristaps Porzingis trade, with a league high in cap space scheduled for the 2021 offseason.
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The Knicks would easily be able to fold Lillard's remaining money (more than $39 million) into their salary situation. Lillard has a four-year contract extension that begins next season.
Some speculation says that Lillard, who turns 31 in July, could be on the move after another OK but not great year for Portland; the Trail Blazers are the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and have reached the Western Conference Finals once (2018-19 season) with Lillard. They've failed to advance past the first round in four seasons while Lillard has been a Blazer.
The Knicks are ascending with Tom Thibodeau at the helm, sitting at No. 4 in the Eastern Conference just a few weeks before the start of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. With a core that features RJ Barrett and the likely winner of the NBA's Most Improved Player award in Julius Randle, New York is a viable landing spot with a good supporting cast for Lillard.
New York has long searched for a solution to its years-long point guard dilemma, and it could soon be "Dame Time" on the East coast.
