“If it’s a smaller guard, pair him with length around him” – PG explains why Dame would be a good fit with the Rockets originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George thinks that Damian Lillard‘s best fit moving forward is with the Houston Rockets.
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Lillard was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks last week. The Bucks stretched his salary over five years to create cap space to sign Myles Turner in free agency. Because of that, Dame is now an unrestricted free agent who can sign with any team he chooses. PG says that the team is the Rockets.
“Put him with Houston,” said George. “You put him on a team where there’s a KD, there’s defense around him, length around him. If it’s a smaller guard, pair him with length around him. I think that’s a great fit for him in Houston.”
The Rockets have nine players with a wingspan of at least seven feet
At 6’2″, Lillard is one of the shorter superstar guards in the NBA today, but like Steph Curry, he makes up for his lack of size with impeccable shooting and scoring. However, both are often exposed by bigger opponents on defense, which is an issue.
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Playing alongside tall and long teammates helps mask that weakness. In Houston, Lillard would have one of the lengthiest teams we’ve ever seen in the league, with nine players who have a wingspan of at least seven feet, including three at 7’5″ in Kevin Durant, Clint Capela, and Steven Adams.
Having Durant on his side will also help Lillard’s comeback because he doesn’t have to exert too much effort with KD as the No.1 scoring option. Houston’s ranking 5th in Defensive Rating last season also eases any worries about trying to integrate a 33-year-old star coming off a serious knee injury.
Jackson wants to see Lillard finish his career at home
While PG picked the Rockets, his guest, former Dallas Mavericks guard Jim Jackson, likes Lillard to join Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves — if he is still willing to play far from home. If not, Jackson said it would be great to see Dame finish his career where it all started.
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“I’d love to see him in Minnesota, actually. But I don’t know if he still wanna be that far away from home rehabbing. Like, I know Rob Dillingham is a young rookie that’s up there in Minnesota. He got to be able to have some runway next year to see if he can really be — he’s a first round pick, if he can be their future. But it’s some things I think strategically out there, that with Dame, does he go back to Portland and finish it? Because now he’s back home. Family there, rehabbing, comeback, swan story, finish your career there,” explained Jackson.
Lillard finishing his NBA career with the Blazers would be an excellent storybook ending. However, given the opportunity that the Bucks have given him, Dame might want to chase an NBA title one final time, and Portland isn’t the place to do that. The Wolves are a good contending team, but if he really wants a good contender, PG’s suggestion makes a lot of sense.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.