Reports: Damian Lillard requests trade from Portland Trail Blazers, prefers Eastern Conference contender
Damian Lillard reportedly wants out of Portland. Chris Haynes of NBA on TNT reported that the superstar guard requested a trade from the Trail Blazers on Saturday morning.
Lillard, who has remained loyal to the Trail Blazers organization until now, reportedly prefers an Eastern Conference contender. Rumors have circulated that could mean the sharpshooter wants to play for the Miami Heat, which is fresh off another NBA Finals appearance.
Another favorite to land Lillard would be the Brooklyn Nets.
Lillard was the No. 6 overall selected by Portland in the 2012 NBA Draft. He’s been the face of the franchise for over a decade. Per Yahoo, Lillard is owed $216.2 million over the next four seasons.
Lillard expressed interest in remaining with Portland, but wanted the franchise to make moves to become a contender, especially as he enter the later portion of his career. It seems the Trail Blazers may not make the necessary transactions to keep the star happy.
Portland failed to make the playoffs each of the last two seasons, finishing well under .500 each year. The franchise hasn’t made it past the opening round of the postseason since 2018-19 campaign, earning a trip to the Western Conference Finals.
In his 11-year career, Lillard has earned NBA All-Star honors seven times. He’s coming off a year in which he averaged a career-best 32.2 points per game while shooting over 46% from the floor.
Damian Lillard era seemingly over in Portland
Lillard emerged as one of the top scorers in the league as a rookie during the 2012-13 season. He’s only added to his legacy in that regard over the past decade. He’ll go down as one of the top players ever to wear a Blazers uniform.
But it’s clear Lillard wanted a shot to win a championship. If Portland was willing to make a stronger commitment, he might be willing to stick around.
In an interview with Dave Pasch in 2022, he called himself a “loyal” person and that he could envision himself spending his entire career in Portland.
“I feel like we’ll have a chance to win,” he said, per Yahoo. “I feel like that moment is going to come, I feel like that opportunity is going to come, and that’s that. As long as I feel that our organization is putting their best foot forward and we’re on the same page about doing everything that we can do to win, then I’m willing to go out swinging.
“I want to win in Portland. It would mean something to me to do it here. There’s some significance to that for me, and I don’t say that with the expectation that they couldn’t ever decide one day that, ‘All right, we want to move on. What do you want to do?’ This is me being loyal to who I am, and how I feel and what I want to see happen. I would love to finish my career here. That’s my plan, and that’s that.”
Lillard’s plans obviously changed. Now, we’ll wait and see where he lands. Will it be Miami, Brooklyn or could another team emerge?