The Portland Trail Blazers continue to look for the best trade offer they can get for Damian Lillard, and with multiple teams jumping on board, it seems like the Miami Heat are no longer a lock to get him.

The latest reports show that the Toronto Raptors are heavily involved and interested in getting him to Canada, regardless of Lillard’s desire to play in South Florida’s warm weather.

With that in mind, NBA insider Danny Marang reports that Masai Ujiri and the Raptors won’t even consider trading former Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes to get Lillard (via Dru).

“Scottie Barnes is not factoring in this. I have heard the Raptors, that Masai — just unwilling to engage on that. The touchpoint is gonna be O.G. Anunoby & whether or not he’s included in the deal…You can bring him to Portland…or you trade him to a 3rd or 4th team”@DannyMarang pic.twitter.com/MSvk1Te4PV

— Dru (@dru_star) September 25, 2023

Instead, it’ll all depend on whether they’re willing to include O.G. Anunoby in the transaction, even if the Blazers don’t want to keep him and look to move him to another team instead.

Truth be told, it’s hard to think that Lillard would want to play for the Raptors.

The reason he wants to leave Portland is because they don’t have a championship-caliber team, and things wouldn’t be that much different up north.

Pascal Siakam is entering the final year of his contract and seems unlikely to extend his stay in Canada, and Barnes regressed vastly last season.

They lost some depth and could be even more undermanned if they also part ways with Anunoby, who’s obviously going to be instrumental in getting Lillard in the first place.

At the end of the day, though, Lillard doesn’t have a say in where he’s traded to, and the Blazers will only take the best offer, regardless of how he feels.

The post Analyst Names 1 Key Player In Raptors’ Pursuit Of Damian Lillard appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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The Golden State Warriors have had to give up on almost every single one of their youngsters.

They parted ways with James Wiseman and recently traded Jordan Poole.

Still, they held onto Jonathan Kuminga, who has shown flashes of outstanding two-way play but has struggled to find consistent playing time, especially last season.

That might not be the case next year, as coach Steve Kerr recently raved about him, stating that he’s had a very positive summer and that all the coaches have given him rave reviews throughout the course of the offseason (Via 95.7 The Game).

Kerr on Kuminga’s offseason:

“I’m excited about JK. He’s had a really good summer. I was getting reports routinely… The coaches were all raving about him, saying that he’s really worked hard.” pic.twitter.com/4Hh4GANP3P

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) September 25, 2023

Kuminga is an elite athlete and his defensive potential is through the roof.

He’s strong, physical, and can finish through contact, and while his shot is a work in progress, he has shown the ability to consistently knock down shots from mid range.

Some analysts believe he’s in for a breakout season, granted that he’s likely to have Chris Paul running the second unit.

Paul has always been wonderful for young players on the verge of a breakout, and he’ll give him the ball in the spots he needs them to be more efficient.

Kuminga has reportedly been frustrated with his lack of playing time and there were even some rumors of a potential desire to be traded.

Also, there were reports of him not seeing eye-to-eye with Draymond Green.

But he’s still quite young, and while the Warriors don’t usually favor young players or player development, this might finally be his year.

The post Steve Kerr Says He’s ‘Excited’ About 1 Warriors Player appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has a little less than two weeks to make up his mind about playing for France in the upcoming Olympics.

The French set an October 10th deadline for the star big man, who could also choose to play for Cameroon or the United States.

However, NBA analyst Justin Termine believes Embiid shouldn’t even consider playing for any of those teams next summer, and he should focus solely on the Philadelphia 76ers instead (via SiriusXM NBA Radio).

“[Joel Embiid] should say, I’m not playing for anybody, I’m focusing on the 76ers”.@TermineRadio tells @SamMitchellNBA why Philadelphia’s big man shouldn’t play in the 2024 Olympics. pic.twitter.com/Vr7zEaqrS8

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 26, 2023

Termine explained that Embiid isn’t going to be able to hold up for an entire season after playing in the Olympics, saying that he’s got the body of a 33-year-old player despite being 29 years old, and pointing out the fact that he’s never played 70 games in a season.

He stated that the Sixers organization, Daryl Morey, and everybody around him should be quite emphatic about this, urging him to stay focused on his NBA career.

Termine also pointed out that Embiid is often worn out and far from his best come playoff time, which is also a fact.

Truth be told, Embiid would be a prime addition to every team’s roster, even if the French team might not need him as much as Cameroon or Team USA.

The reigning MVP could be replaced by Rudy Gobert or Victor Wembanyama, but there’s simply no way to fill in for him in Philadelphia.

Everybody wants to play in the Olympics, but Embiid’s injury history and proneness could force him to make an uncomfortable decision.

The post Analyst Says Joel Embiid Should Focus On 1 Team Ahead Of 2024 Olympics appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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