One NBA insider thinks Damian Lillard will get traded by the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason.
Sam Amick of The Athletic told Ethan Skolnick of the “Five On The Floor” podcast that he believes Lillard’s stellar run with the Blazers will come to an end this offseason.
“I’m gonna lean towards yes because I feel like. … How deliberate star players are with their voice. And what I’m seeing from Dame right now, and the type of commentary and analysis coming either from him or reporters who are close to him, the tone of the discussion feels like two things: A) something you choose to do to apply pressure and make sure your front office trades the No. 3 pick for a very good player to make him stay, and B) to send the message that if you don’t [trade that pick], we’re gonna have to figure something out here,” Amick said.
“I’m currently not seeing or hearing of that type of trade. So it does feel like if they don’t move the pick for something that really moves the program forward now, then we’re gonna be talking about Dame a lot this summer.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
Lillard has said several times that he wants to spend his entire career with the Blazers. However, he recently said he would want to get traded to the Miami Heat or Brooklyn Nets if Portland decided to move him. Lillard’s comments caused quite a stir since it was the first time he ever talked about playing for another team.
The Blazers have the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Lillard supposedly wants Portland to trade the pick to acquire a star player this offseason. It’s going to be very intriguing to see if the Blazers keep the pick or trade it to get Lillard more help.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
A future Hall of Famer, Lillard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists this season in 58 games. The Blazers won only 33 games and missed the playoffs for the second straight year.
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