Superstar Damian Lillard has finally asked for a move from the Portland Trail Blazers, after years of the franchise being stuck in mediocrity. He only has one preferred destination, and it has widely been reported that he wants to go specifically to the Miami Heat.
There is no doubt that if the Portland Trail Blazers move Damian Lillard to the Miami Heat, then they might not get the best trade package. Recently, we saw Pelicans GM David Griffin compare the situation to Anthony Davis getting traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“If there’s a chance you trade him somewhere other the Miami, you get a much better deal. We got lucky that the deal we made with L.A. was fueled by all of the noise around other teams…it gave us leverage that we probably didn’t deserve.”
There’s no doubt that it is more advantageous for the Portland Trail Blazers to wait it out and let the rumor mill do its thing. The goal is to get the Miami Heat to give up a haul, potentially looping a third team into the mix to get the assets necessary to land Lillard.
Damian Lillard had a very productive season with the Portland Trail Blazers last season, averaging 32.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 7.3 APG. He can make an impact for any team that lands him, but it seems as though he only wants to go to one destination.
Damian Lillard Wouldn’t Report To Play If He Was Traded Somewhere But The Heat
Throughout this whole saga, Damian Lillard has made it clear that he is willing to get to the Miami Heat by any means necessary. In fact, it was previously revealed that Lillard wouldn’t report to play if moved anywhere else.
“‘He just wouldn’t go,’ a person familiar with Lillard’s thinking told Mark Medina of Sportsnaut. ‘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,” the person familiar with Lillard’s thinking told Sportsnaut. “He’s a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer so they should respect his wishes.”
Hopefully, we do see Damian Lillard end up on the Miami Heat. He deserves to be on a contender at this stage of his career, and we’ll see if the Portland Trail Blazers grant his request.
