For years, All-Star guard Damian Lillard refused to entertain the idea of leaving the Portland Trail Blazers despite the fact that the franchise didn’t put a team around him that was good enough to contend for a title. However, it appears that Lillard has had enough of mediocrity and now wants to see if the grass is greener on the other side.
Trail Blazers’ general manager Joe Cronin issued a statement in which he confirmed that Lillard asked the franchise to trade him.
“We have been clear that we want Dame here, but he notified us today he wants out, and he’d prefer to play someplace else,” Cronin said in a statement. “What has not changed for us is that we’re committed to winning, and we are going to do what’s best for the team in pursuit of that goal.”
Lillard’s preference at the moment is reportedly to play with the Miami Heat. Portland wants to do right for Lillard, considering everything he has done for the franchise, but reportedly also wants to make sure that they get the best assets in return.
Several other teams have reached out to the Blazers, including the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Clippers, in order to see what kind of package would be needed to land Lillard.
Damian Lillard was selected sixth overall by the Blazers in 2012. He was the Rookie of the Year for 2012-13 seasons and earned his first All-Star nod a year later. Since then, he made six more All-Star appearances while being selected to All-NBA First Team in 2018.
Lillard averaged 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in his 11 years in the league. He helped the Blazers make eight playoff appearances during that time, including a Western Conference Finals run in 2019.
