Damian Lillard to Spurs rumors heating up: What would a trade look like?

The San Antonio Spurs have largely stayed on the sidelines in the NBA's offseason frenzy, with the signing of Tre Jones and the addition of Cedi Osman standing out as their biggest moves following the acquisition of Victor Wembanyama. Could Damian Lillard change all that?

After years of refusing to run from the grind, Lillard has officially been grinding for too long. He requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, with the Miami Heat on the top of his proverbial destination list. Is there a chance the Spurs change all of that?

According to Ramona Shelburne, Lillard has a deep respect for the Spurs as an organization despite his interest in Miami. There has to be a reason that this little nugget of information was leaked out at this point. Is he trying to get San Antonio interested?

Can the San Antonio Spurs acquire Damian Lillard?

In this deal, the Spurs would make use of their surplus of first-round picks via a trade. Rather than simply vacuum up first-round picks, San Antonio would become an instant force in the West with Lillard controlling the backcourt alongside Wembanyama in the paint.

Losing Johnson would be a tough pill to swallow for the Spurs, but you have to be willing to sacrifice a player of that caliber to acquire a future Hall of Famer who is still at the top of his game in Lillard. Three first-rounders is a steep price, but this makes up for the relative lack of value between McDermott and Graham.

Lillard is still one of the best shooters and clutch scorers in the game, and the Spurs would have enough flexibility to build a great team around him despire moving off so many first-round picks. Players like Lillard aren't always on the market.

The Spurs have been mired in dreck for the last few seasons, and acquiring Lillard could be a golden opportunity to break free of their own poor performance. It is quite risky and will take some deft maneuvering, but it is by no means an impossible task to accomplish.