Damian Lillard simultaneously said he wants and expects to be back in Portland next season, but admitted Brooklyn and Miami are desirable destinations if he leaves.
If the Trail Blazers star was trying to tamp down trade talks, all he did was fan the flames.
Rumors have swirled around Lillard ever since he openly acknowledged he has no interest in sitting around through a lengthy rebuild in Portland, who have missed the playoffs the last two seasons.
Sources confirmed to The Post that the Nets have genuine interest in Lillard, who spoke on the Last Stand podcast with Brian Custer.
When asked by Custer if he thinks he’ll still be a Blazer when next season tips off, Lillard said “I do.”
But the host put to him the idea of being traded to the Nets, Heat, Knicks or Celtics and asked which of those destinations would be more preferable.
Lillard didn’t hesitate in picking favorites, choosing Brooklyn and NBA Finalists Miami over the Knicks and Boston.
“Miami obviously. Miami is an obvious one. And Bam (Adebayo) is my dog. Bam is my dog, for real. But I mean, I think Miami is the obvious one. Brooklyn is an obvious,” Lillard said. “Brooklyn is another obvious one because Mikal Bridges is my dog, too. I mean, can both are capable, both have capable rosters.”
Lillard’s former teammate Josh Hart, who was traded to the Knicks midseason, responded to Lillard’s comments.
“Damn I thought I was your dawg too….@Dame_Lillard,” Hart wrote on Twitter.
Lillard has not only called Bridges his favorite small forward in the NBA, but also works out with the Nets star in the offseason.
He came to attend Brooklyn’s first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, hung out with Bridges afterward and appeared on IG Live with the Nets wing recently.
Of course, cobbling together a package that could pry Lillard out of Portland would be challenging for any franchise, the Nets included.
It could strip the roster down to the point that what’s left would be unable to contend even with a superstar like Lillard, a fact he’s acutely aware of.
“I think that’s a loaded question because they can trade me to somewhere that we all say this is a contender, but what is it going to cost for me to get there?” Lillard asked rhetorically. “What is it going to cost the team that we’re saying is a contender for me to get there? And how is it a guarantee that we’re going to be playing in June when I got there? How do we know they’re going to be healthy, how do we know if it’s going to work out?
“Neither thing is guaranteed if I go here, go there; so I really don’t know. But I think I’ve made it clear you know what my wishes are: I want to have an opportunity to win in Portland. And right now we’ve got an opportunity asset-wise to build our team that can build a team, that can compete; that would be the No. 1 thing. But if we can’t do that, then obviously like I’ve said for months now, it’s a separate conversation that we’d have to have. But we’ve got to let things take its course and see where it lands and go from there.
“I love the organization I play for, I love the city I live in and I’m going to give them every opportunity to give me — or give us — what we need to have a true chance to compete for that. And if that’s something that isn’t possible or something that can’t get done, like I said is then we got to a different conversation.”
It’s a not-to-subtle case of prodding Portland to use that aforementioned asset — the third overall pick in the NBA Draft later this month at Barclays Center — to acquire proven veteran talent.
If they fail to do so — or simply choose not to — will Lillard finally have that conversation?
If he does, it’s noteworthy that he feels Brooklyn’s roster is strong.
He has also praised Cam Johnson in the past, the sweet-shooting forward that arrived alongside Bridges in the Kevin Durant trade.
That megadeal could provide a framework for what a Lillard swap could look like.
Portland would look to dive into the Nets’ stock of draft picks, likely looking for four first-rounders.
And even though a request for Bridges would almost certainly be rejected, center Nic Claxton could be the next ask.
Then Brooklyn would need to include either Ben Simmons for salary-matching purposes (and possibly another pick as a sweetener) or a tandem like Spencer Dinwiddie and Royce O’Neale. Dorian Finney-Smith could also be involved.