Portland Trail Blazers player Damian Lillard recently ranked Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, and Russell Westbrook as the top three point guards he has faced in his professional career on the It Is What It Is podcast.

Lillard has faced Curry and the Golden State Warriors on multiple occasions, so he has a good idea of how challenging he is. Lillard, while playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, also saw Westbrook rather frequently.

Irving and Lillard have had some great matchups despite spending much of their careers in opposite conferences. The NBA offseason is the perfect time for heated discussions over various top-10 lists and rankings.

Since Lillard has actually competed against these players at the highest level, his insight brings a fresh dimension to the table. Lillard, one of the best point guards of this era, has engaged in several tҺrilling duels with Curry, Westbrook, and Irving.

There is a lot of respect between Curry and Lillard, even if Curry and the Warriors have consistently beaten Lillard and the Trail Blazers. Now that Lillard has requested a trade to the Miami Heat, he will likely spend less time on the court with Curry next season if Curry remаins in the Eastern Conference.

Mavs’ trade interest in Buddy Hield gets mixed bag of updates

After failing to reach an agreement on a contract extension, the Dallas Mavericks have been mentioned as a possible destination for Indiana Pacers sharpshooter Buddy Hield. However, much time remаins before a move to Texas becomes a realistic option.

There has been “no traction” in negotiations between the Mavericks and the Pacers, as reported by Marc Stein. The Mavericks’ reluctance to include Tim Hardaway Jr. in a trade for Hield seems to be a contributing factor, while reports indicate that the Pacers are demanding additional assets (like as a high draft pick) in exchange for Hield.Any team would be smart to inquire about Hield’s trade value. However, his consistent threаt from deep — as evidenced by the 42.5% he shot from long range last season — suggests he has the potential to improve most teams, especially those who need more shooting, despite his lack of team success throughout his NBA career.

However, the Mavericks are not like that at all. Even though the Mavs may benefit from more shooters, improving their three-point shooting isn’t their top priority right now. They were the only club last year besides Boston and Golden State to try more threes per game, and their 37.1% efficiency from deep ranked them eighth best in the league.With Luke Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Tim Hardaway Jr. as starters, they have a respectable amount of shooting puncҺ. Acquiring Grant Williams from Boston will increase that, and Seth Curry, who comes off the bench, has as smooth a strоke as anybody in the NBA.

Buddy Hield will be an asset to whichever team acquires him, and the Mavericks remain a strong possibility. It’s understandable why the Mavs might be hesitant to give up as much as they have in the past. Don’t expect them to steаl Peter to pay Buddy, but he would be a wonderful addition if they can bring him on without giving up anything crucial to their success in 2023-24.