After 11 years of mediocrity in Portland, Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard finally asked for a trade in a move that shocked the basketball world. Finally, Lillard could force his way to a winning situation and mark his place in NBA history with a championship to add to his resume.
We are now days into the trade request and while a trade to Miami is still imminent, there is a growing sense that Lillard may not get what he wants just yet. As the Blazers cavass offers from around the league, they seemingly have yet to find a deal they’re interested in and it could force Lillard to stay put for weeks or even months following his initial trade demand.
“He hung around too long there’s no other way around it,” said Jason McIntyre. “Lillard is essentially stuck in Portland now. He’s stuck in Portland because there is no trade for him. He’s turning 33 this summer, he’s still a very good player. He was just too loyal to Portland… you look at last year that they could’ve gotten for Dame Lillard and the haul would have been massive. I will point folks to what the Utah Jazz got for Donovan Mitchell.”
"[Damian Lillard] hung around too long… He is essentially stuck in Portland because there's no trade for him."
Jason McIntyre doesn't see Dame playing for anyone but the Trail Blazers next year 🤔
(via @TheHerd)pic.twitter.com/n3fiyAtuRg
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 5, 2023
At this point in his career, Dame doesn’t make sense on a young rebuilding team. So among the many organizations who might want Lillard, in theory, there’s only really a handful of teams who make sense to chase the veteran point guard, who turns 33 in July.
Unfortunately for Portland, Lillard’s preference to play for the Heat has severely crippled their leverage, and it’s going to be tough for them to find a suitable return.
Lillard Trade Sweepstakes Could Drag On For Months
With Damian Lillard’s trade market surprisingly dry, there’s nothing forcing Portland to just wait it out and hope for better offers down the road. Lillard has four years left on his deal, so the Blazers are in no rush to move on from their longtime franchise player.
“Portland I’m told, is not impressed with what Miami has to offer him,” reported Adrian Wojnarowski. “While it is Damian Lillard’s preference to go to the Heat… Portland needs maximum value…”
At this point, it’s a waiting game for Dame and the Blazers. Unless another team steps up with a monster package, it’s going to take some time for this deal to materialize and for each side to get what they want.
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