NBA rumors: Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard prepare to start season together

On July 1, Damian Lillard requested a trade. However, as training camp approaches, he is still on the Blazers roster. If Lillard wants to avoid an incredibly awkward locker room situation come opening night, things might need to speed up. Thankfully, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski believes Damian Lillard's market may heat up soon. (:D Get it? Heat up?) Per Woj:

Per Woj:

There will be more conversation with the Blazers and respective teams over the next few weeks than there were certainly over the last couple of months. This is a deadline driven league. The next real deadline or landmark of any real substance is the start of training camp. I think you can expect the Blazers to talk with teams again before then. Adrian Wojnarowski

Considering his Miami campaign this summer, it's interesting to see Woj report that there are plural team(s) interested in Lillard. After all, the NBA issued a memo warning against Lillard's 'strictly Miami Heat' approach. It'll be exciting to see what the Blazers land on for Lillard because with the regular season approaching, time is of the essence.

NBA rumors: Trey Murphy injury update

The Pelican's organization takes another hit. This Tuesday, during a workout/game at the team's facility, Trey Murphy suffered a meniscus injury to his left knee. Last year, Murphy averaged 14.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on a true shooting percentage of 65%. Far from a sophomore slump for the Pelicans' small forward.

On NBA Today, ESPN's Wojnarowski reported the latest update on Trey's inury. Woj said, "I'm told that there is at least a slight tear in that meniscus. And now he's gonna undergo further evaluation to see what kind of procedure would be necessary."

Trey's minutes jumped from 13.9 to 31.0 last season, meaning this is a huge hit for the Pelicans rotation. Now, as far as the timeline to return goes for Trey Murphy, that all depends on the procedure. Once again, per Woj:

If you do a full repair on a meniscus, that's at least a few months. There's also a scenario where they snip that meniscus and he could be back much much sooner. Maybe even by around the start of the season. Adrian Wojnarowski on NBA Today

Hopefully, Trey makes a speedy recovery and gets back on the court soon.

NBA rumors: Jayson Tatum on Cooper Flagg

In a recent interview, Jayson Tatum weighed in on one of basketball's most promising young prospects: Cooper Flagg. Cooper Flagg is a 6-foot-9 five-star recruit. He's this 16 year old kid who allegedly beat Bradley Beal in 1-on-1 and talked trash the whole time. (He denied that, but with greatness comes folklore.) Here's what Tatum said about Flagg:

I like him a lot. Obviously, he's athletic, he can dribble, shoot. The thing that impressed me was how hard he competed on both ends. He's got an edge about him, not arrogant. He knows he's good, but he realizes he's got a long way to go. He's going at guys, going at the pros. He was trying to block every shot, getting every rebound. He wasn't playing cool. He was playing hard, competing. He was asking questions a lot, listening Jayson Tatum on Cooper Flagg

It appears that respect is mutual between them. In fact, Flagg even said he modeled his game after Jayson Tatum. Last summer, Flagg told ON3, "I always say I like to model my game after Jayson Tatum. And Grayson Allen too, with how hard he plays, and the grit he plays with." Guess you could say things have come full circle for Cooper.

During Nike EYBL's Peach Jam this summer, Flagg averaged 25 points,13 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 6.9 blocks. Flagg's radar includes schools like UCONN, Duke, Kansas, and Kentucky. Considering Flagg grew up following Duke, hearing a former Blue Devil like Tatum praise his game must've been a surreal moment for Cooper.