- NBA insider believes Damian Lillard waited too long on his trade request
- Blazers are in no rush to trade theAll-Star guard
- Lillard could expand his list of teams if not traded before next season
At the surface, one might think that the Miami Heat hold all the leverage in trade talks for Damian Lillard. As the only team on Dame’s preferred destination list, they are really the only ones with justification to give up real assets for him.
What people don’t realize, however, is that Lillard still has multiple years left on his deal, which means the Blazers can extend this saga into or even past February’s trade deadline. In that scenario, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne hints that it could force Lillard to expand his list of preferable teams.
“Dame was so loyal. Wanted to put himself in a good position… Probably just waited too long,” said the league insider on NBA Today. “Question is does it happen during the offseason or do we wait until February… He may even expand his list of teams he’d be willing to go to.”
To this point, Lillard has been adamant about not expanding his list, but he may have no choice if he wants to avoid wasting the last good years of his career. If Portland doesn’t move on a trade to the heat by September, we could start to see Lillard get desperate to force a trade.
For now, it’s still a waiting game for both sides but if even one other team steps in to make a lucrative offer for the star point guard, it will put the Heat in an undoubtedly tough position.
Is Damian Lillard’s Trade Request Bad For The NBA?
It’s hard not to look at Lillard’s situation and wonder what it means for the NBA. As one of the last loyal stars left, Dame’s trade request marks the end of an era for Portland, but also the end of the final wave of loyalists in the NBA.
If you ask some, the reality of the new player empowerment movement isn’t actually good for the league as a whole.
“If you were a free agent, then you could choose where you were gonna go. That’s the business,” said Austin Rivers. “But when you’re not and sign a deal man, that’s a part of the business. If you get traded somewhere, you gotta go play.”
Of course, nobody can blame Lillard for finally following through on his trade request but the whole league is watching to see how it plays out. The results could set a major precedent on this issue for years to come.
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