Some people around the NBA believe Damian Lillard would sit out and not play if the Portland Trail Blazers trade him to a team not named the Miami Heat. Lillard has demanded that the Blazers trade him to the Heat so he can play with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Since Lillard doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract, the Blazers don’t have to honor his trade request. Portland can trade Lillard anywhere even though the franchise knows the seven-time All-Star wants to play in Miami, and according to people Matt Moore of The Action Network spoke to, Lillard is not expected to sit out if he’s traded somewhere he doesn’t want to be.
“One thing everyone, and I mean everyone, I talked to has laughed at: the notion of Damian Lillard sitting out of training camp if he’s traded somewhere he doesn’t want to be,” Moore wrote. “Everyone believes that to be an empty threat distributed by his agency, and it would take Lillard himself saying it on record to be refuted.”
The Blazers used Summer League in Las Vegas to get a fuller understanding of the trade market for Lillard, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Miami Heat & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
Portland general manager Joe Cronin told reporters in Vegas that he’s willing to wait months to trade Lillard since he wants to get the best package possible.
The Heat are the only team Lillard wants to get traded to. The superstar has no interest in playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets. The Blazers, though, have not been impressed by the Heat’s trade package for Lillard. It appears a third team will need to get involved for Lillard to land in Miami.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Miami Heat & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, has been advising non-Heat teams to not trade for his client. The expectation around Lillard is that his insistence on Miami will discourage other teams from offering their best assets to try to acquire him from Portland.
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