NBA Trade Rumors: Damian Lillard and his camp take the next step in making a “mess” for the Portland Trail Blazers.
When it was announced that Damian Lillard had officially requested a trade away from the Portland Trail Blazers nearly a week ago, it was not a huge shock. However, the news that surfaced shortly after in conjunction with his trad request is what took many by surprise.
Lillard didn’t just request a trade away from the Blazers. No, he took it a step further. He not only requested a trade away from the Blazers but demanded that he be traded to the Miami Heat. No other team. Just the Heat.
As you would expect, that complicated the entire start of this process. Considering that the Heat don’t have many conventional trade assets on their roster, it’s easy to see why the tide quickly turned on Lillard.
However, he’s set on finding his way to the Heat. As it seems, even if he has to make things a bit ugly.
According to a recent report, it seems that his camp is already taking the next step in making this “ugly.” If that’s what it’s going to take for Lillard to get to the Heat, his camp is not above to making it happen.
Lillard’s agent is reportedly calling teams (subscription required) and telling them that they don’t want to trade for an “unhappy star.” And the only way in which Lillard won’t be considered an “unhappy star” after a trade would be if he’s moved to Miami.
There’s no telling whether or not this tactic will work.
Will Damian Lillard get his wish?
From all indications, at least with what’s being said through the media, the Blazers are hoping to send Lillard to the team that offers the best deal. Right now, it’s hard to predict whether or not that’s the Heat, but you’d have to believe that it may not be.
And perhaps that’s the reason why Lillard and his agent have resorted to calling teams and basically warning them not to trade significant assets for Lillard. Maybe that’s what’s happening here.
The bigger question is what happens if Lillard does end up being traded to a team that isn’t the Heat? Would Lillard actually sit out games? Would he throw a pity party for a while and then be convinced to make the most of his new opportunity or reality?
The next few days or even weeks will be interesting. Right now, we still don’t know how this will all be resolved.