The Portland Trail Blazers have been blessed with their fair share of star players despite being a small-market team. But the Trail Blazers somehow managed to force their legends to seek a move out of the organization.
Damian Lillard recently demanded a trade after giving 11 years of his career to the Portland Trail Blazers. During his stint with the team, Dame couldn’t even play in the NBA Finals, let alone achieve his goal of winning a championship. Anyway, this isn’t the first time a superstar talent has requested a trade from the franchise. Prior to Damian Lillard, Bill Walton, and Clyde Drexler went down the same path.
NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton was picked as the first overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1974 NBA Draft. Walton made his mark on the team by leading them to the 1977 championship. The legendary center also won the NBA Finals MVP for averaging 18.5 PPG, 19.0 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 3.7 BPG in a 4-2 series over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Walton also won the 1978 NBA MVP while donning the jersey of the Trail Blazers. However, after just four seasons, Walton requested a trade away from the franchise. He sat out the 1978-79 NBA season due to a foot injury. Walton was unhappy with how the team handled his injury and ultimately joined the San Diego Clippers in free agency.
The Portland Trail Blazers found another talented star in Clyde Drexler. He was drafted with the 14th overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft. Drexler didn’t take long to become a star in the league, earning his first NBA All-Star appearance in his third season.
Drexler led the organization to the 1990 and 1992 NBA Finals, losing both times. After spending 12 seasons with the Trail Blazers, Clyde Drexler ultimately requested a trade to the Houston Rockets in 1995.
As we mentioned earlier, Damian Lillard became the most recent star to request a trade from the Trail Blazers. Dame is currently the franchise leader for points (19,376). Lillard was nothing but loyal to the team for 11 years, but he was tired of not making a deep run in the postseason. Lillard reached the Western Conference Finals in 2019 but was swept by the Golden State Warriors in the series.
Damian Lillard Wants To Join The Miami Heat
According to several reports, Damian Lillard wants to be traded to the Miami Heat. Dame is intrigued by the competitive culture of the franchise. Moreover, the Heat already have two stars–Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo on the roster.
Adding Lillard to form a Big 3 could be the final piece of the puzzle for the organization to win its first NBA Championship since 2013.
If the Trail Blazers do not trade Lillard to the Heat, it could have a negative impact on future All-Star caliber players seeking a move to the franchise. Keeping that in mind, the Trail Blazers will most likely comply with their cornerstone superstar’s request.
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