Free Lillard undercurrents

After being cut by the Bucks, Lillard was not as eager to sign the contract as expected. ESPN revealed key information: He will not join any team in the 2025-26 season. This is a masterpiece - you can receive the full amount of US$113 million paid in installments by the Bucks, and get a 12-18-month stress-free recovery period, and wait until 2026 to choose your last stop in your career with complete freedom.

Several teams have made secret arrangements. The Lakers' ambitions are the most naked: If James retires in 2026, a new box office leader is urgently needed to take over. Lillard and Thick Eyebrow have huge imagination of pick-and-roll lethality, and can also copy the script of "The veteran won the championship after recovering from injury" (refer to the 2016 James took Irving to reverse the Warriors). The Heat's obsession is deeper - as early as 2023, Riley had made a quotation of 8-for-1 in Herro + 3 first rounds + multiple rounds, but the Trail Blazers refused on the grounds that "Adebayo or Butler must be given." Now that the opportunity to take over at zero cost is in front of you, how can Pat Riley let it go?

The potential dark horse surfaces: Return to the Trail Blazers. Lillard still has real estate in Portland, the team is in a rebuilding period, and there is a point guard vacancy when Henderson rookie contract expires in 2026. If Lillard is willing to accept the short-term contract, his business value will far exceed that of competitive significance. But the risks are also obvious: how many of the 35-year-old veterans after the Achilles tendon are still magical?