NBA Trade Rumors: Exploring four teams that could seemingly steal Damian Lillard away from the Miami Heat.
After a couple of months of anticipation, Damian Lillard finally requested a trade away from the Portland Trail Blazers. After weeks of playing the “will he or won’t he,” Lillard finally made his decision and, from all accounts, the expectation is that the Blazers are going to honor his request.
But it wasn’t just that Lillard finally requested a trade. Lillard didn’t just do that, but he informed the Blazers that he wants to be traded to the Miami Heat. Forget a shortlist of teams that Lillard was open to; he knows where he wants to play and Portland knows this.
That said, it’s one thing to have a desired landing spot and a completely different thing to have the Blazers want to play ball with Lillard in this suddenly demanding request.
How will the Portland Trail Blazers react to Damian Lillard’s direct request?
In a statement released by Blazers general manager Joe Cronin, the team is going to pursue what’s best for the team. That leaves open the possibility of the Blazers entertaining trade offers that are not from the Heat.
The big question is whether Cronin was genuine or if this is a negotiating ploy that he’s trying to play with Lillard and the Heat. If it is something that Portland would be open to (and Lillard would play along to a certain extent), let’s explore four teams (that would theoretically be interested in Lillard) that could easily beat the Heat’s trade offer for Lillard.