NBA Trade Rumors: Damian Lillard finally requests trade; Heat, Nets at front of line

NBA Trade Rumors: Damian Lillard has finally requested a trade with the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets sitting at the front of the line.

Damian Lillard has finally (and formally) requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers. This is something that has been building for months and something that could’ve been seen from miles away. With the way the Portland Trail Blazers have operated over the past couple of months, it’s clear this was an outcome that we were likely heading toward.

Now that it’s a reality, it’ll be interesting to see what happens next. We know that the Blazers are likely going to help appease Lillard a bit. I don’t believe they’re going to take pennies on the dollar in a deal, but they’re going to work hard to try to get him to one of his preferred landing spots.

The big question is how much are the Blazers willing to work to get Lillard to a place where he wants to be. That’s something that will drive the narrative until a trade is completed and agreed upon.

Even though this was somewhat expected, it’s also completely surprising to a certain extent. Nevertheless, teams are expected to line up to potentially land Lillard over the next few days.

The Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets are two favorites

In what should come as a surprise to no one, the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets are the early favorites to land Lillard. He has been linked to them previously and assuming that the Blazers are going to work with Lillard to find a trade, it would not be surprising if he does end up being moved to the Heat or Nets.

The big question is whether Lillard will demand a trade to one team or if he’ll give a list of preferred destinations to the Blazers. That’s a huge deal considering there’s a very big difference between the two.

If Lillard gives the Blazers a list of teams, it will come down to an all-out bidding war. If Lillard says he wants one team, that could completely change the dynamic of this trade request.

Either way, this is huge news that will send shockwaves and will hijack the free agency process. It wouldn’t be all that surprising if this stalls free agency a bit until there’s a Lillard resolution. The next few days should be quite interesting.