- Damian Lillard requested a trade from the Trail Blazers on the 1st of July
- The Miami Heat remain the only team to have a serious interest in the guard
- The Blazers are hoping more teams will be interested if they continue to wait
The Damian Lillard saga continues to drag on, and the Portland Trail Blazers intend for it to continue for a while longer. Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reported that GM Joe Cronin and the team are hoping a market will emerge for their superstar guard if they stand pat.
“Among the reasons Portland has not made a move with Lillard—and why I think it’s possible, even likely, that Lillard is on the Blazers roster when training camps open in a few weeks—is because Joe Cronin and Co. believe a market will emerge,” Mannix wrote.
As of now, the only team that has registered any concrete interest in Lillard is the Miami Heat. With them not really having any competition, the Heat haven’t felt the need to up their offer and the Blazers are hoping that with time, there will be more teams interested in the 33-year-old.
“It may not happen,” Mannix added. “But the chance it could is enough reason for Portland to hang on to Lillard a little while longer.”
Another star may get unhappy, or a team with assets might just feel at some point that they want to make a splash. Portland is hoping that one of those things happens at some point.
The Blazers, are in no hurry here either. They aren’t exactly contending for a championship and can afford to wait. What also helps them, is that Lillard hasn’t gone nuclear as James Harden has. It is just not who he is, but the seven-time All-Star isn’t happy about the situation at present.
Damian Lillard Is Getting Frustrated
Lillard requested the trade on 1st July, and over two months have now passed without him being moved. NBA insider Marc Spears says Lillard is frustrated over the lack of progress on a trade.
Spears mentioned that the Blazers have leverage here, and that’s because Lillard is under contract through the 2026-27 season. Spears also added that he isn’t the type to cause a ruckus like Harden, which helps the team.
Lillard is expected to report to the Blazers’ training camp as well, as things stand, and won’t sit out of games during the regular season either. At some point, though, his patience will completely run out, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens then.
The Reason Why More Teams Are Not Seriously Interested In Damian Lillard
Many have pointed to Lillard and his agent Aaron Goodwin being the reason why other teams haven’t made serious attempts at acquiring him. Reportedly, Goodwin had warned teams against trading for Lillard, as he only wanted the Heat. It appears that might not be the real reason, however.
Insider Sean Deveney reported that NBA teams just don’t want to offer large trade packages for Lillard. Sure, he averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in the 2022-23 season, but he is in his mid-30s now.
Lillard has a player option worth $63.2 million for the 2026-27 season as well, and teams are hesitant about giving up a lot, considering all those factors. It just seems like the Heat trade will eventually happen, although, no one can say for sure when.
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