Portland Trail Blazers All-Star guard Damian Lillard is adamant about wanting to play for only one team, and he’s reportedly willing to go to great lengths if necessary.
Last week, Lillard requested a trade from the Trail Blazers following years of never-ending trade rumors. It has been widely reported that he is only interested in being traded to the reigning Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat.
According to a report from Mark Medina of Sportsnaut, Lillard would refuse to report to any team that trades for him unless it’s the Heat. Here’s what Medina heard from a source:
“He just wouldn’t go. He just wouldn’t report. I don’t think the other team would trade for him knowing that he doesn’t want to be there. He’s a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer so they should respect his wishes.”
If that is indeed Lillard’s plan, it should definitely prevent other interested parties from pursuing the future Hall of Famer. It has been reported that the Trail Blazers are eyeing four first-round picks and a pair of “quality players” for Lillard.
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Miami’s stellar defense carried the team to an NBA Finals appearance, but they lacked the scoring depth outside of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo to keep up with the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic and company needed just five games to eliminate Miami to claim the franchise’s first championship.
The Finals showed that the Heat clearly need another elite scorer to complement Butler and Adebayo. A seven-time All-Star and player of Lillard’s caliber could very well be the final piece needed to get this organization over the top in 2024.
