- Lack of a no-trade clause means Lillard has limited leverage in trade request
- NBA sent memo warning Lillard to cool his demands
- Trail Blazers will hold Dame until suitable offer is made
Damian Lillard has not wavered in his quest to join the Miami Heat. Despite having very little to offer in the way of assets, Lillard is committed to doing everything he can to ensure that he forces a trade to South Beach.
Most fans are with Lillard on this and feel that the Blazers have an obligation to their franchise guy. But speaking on Sirius XM NBA Radio, former league champion Brian Scalabrine explained why the Blazers can and should do what’s best for the team.
“Where were all the people that were killing Joe Cronin and the Portland Trail Blazers that they have to do this and they have to do it now… Where are all those people after the NBA sent out the memo? You can’t do that. You can’t dictate where you wanna go and say you’re not gonna report because that hurts the Portland Trail Blazers. They have the right to make a trade and do whatever they want. If Damian Lillard had a no-trade clause, then that’s a different story. He doesn’t have a no-trade clause.”
“If Damian Lillard had a no-trade clause, then that’s a different story. He doesn’t have a no-trade clause”
Hear @Scalabrine give @TheFrankIsola his reaction to the NBA’s memo to all 30 teams regarding Damian Lillard’s trade request pic.twitter.com/L1aAQeh975
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 31, 2023
As much as Lillard has done for the Blazers over the past 11+ years, it wasn’t performed out of the kindness of his heart. Thanks to contracts that Lillar himself signed, he’s earned over $400 million over this career and is due to make tens of millions more before his current deal expires.
So, in the eyes of GM Joe Cronin, his team doesn’t owe Dame anything and they cannot just give away their best player in decades for a meager plate of assets in return.
Is Lillard’s Trade Request A Good Thing For Blazers?
It’s obviously sad to see such a great era come to an end for Portland, but trading Dame does give the franchise an opportunity to reset its timeline and build up its already attractive young core.
According to Scalabrine, trading Lillard in the near future is actually the best course of action for them.
“There are timelines in the NBA… give me a player and five first-round picks,” said Scalabrine. “What do they want, Dame Lillard to sit there and be the 10th seed… there are times when the superstar player can move on and the team can get a bunch of assets for him, it’s much better for the team.”
Like it or not, Damian Lillard does not have full control over this situation. With years still left on his deal, there’s no rush for Portland to accept anything less than a king’s ransom for the 7x All-Star.
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