- NBA could veto Lillard trade after latest comments from Aaron Goodwin
- League held a private meeting with Lillard and his agent
- Lillard will play for any team he’s traded to
By all accounts, Damian Lillard was destined to join the Miami Heat. In the days following his initial trade request, both Dame and his agent have been making moves to force Portland into making a deal with the Heat. But now, after some questionable comments from Dame’s agent Aaron Goodwin, the NBA has decided to step in in a way that could prevent Lillard from his ultimate wish.
For now, nobody knows what will happen with Lillard and the Blazers but the NBA’s recent statement has forced the star point guard to admit that he’ll play for any team that trades for him, not just the Miami Heat.
“We interviewed Goodwin and Lillard and also spoke with several NBA teams to whom Goodwin spoke,” said the NBA in a memo (via the Miami Herald). “Goodwin denied stating or indicating to any team that Lillard would refuse to play for them. Goodwin and Lillard affirmed to us that Lillard would fully perform the services called for under his player contract in any trade scenario. The relevant teams provided descriptions of their communications with Goodwin that were mostly, though not entirely, consistent with Goodwin’s statements to us.”
Usually, players are much more discreet in their intentions, and it helps to give their team much-needed leverage in negotiations. In the case of Lillard, his insistence on only playing for Pat Riley put the Blazers in a difficult position that completely stalled trade talks.
Could The NBA Veto A Heat Trade For Lillard?
It’s extremely rare for the NBA to step in on exchange between teams, but the league is reportedly really upset with this whole Lillard saga. If they want, or if Lillard ignores the warning in the memo, they could resort to such action in order to send a message and protect their teams.
At the very least, this latest development might encourage other organizations to step up with an offer, and it remains to be seen if the Heat would be able to compete. It’s an interesting move from the league and it could throw a wrench in the Lillard saga as a whole.
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