Despite receiving a formal trade request from him, the Portland Trail Blazers are in absolutely no rush to trade Damian Lillard. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, “We could be doing this ‘til Labor Day.” Lillard's stated preference to join the Miami Heat. However, the Heat are yet to make an offer enticing enough for the Blazers. Reportedly, Miami's package hinges on Tyler Herro, a player the Blazers have little interest in acquiring. In fact, Woj went as far as to say that the Blazers would want a three-team trade to send Herro elsewhere if Lillard went to Miami.
While multiple teams are reportedly interested, “it’s going to take some time for this marketplace to develop," Woj noted. That's where the biggest problem lies - a lot of teams have been linked with a Dame trade. However, no one is pulling the trigger just yet. Especially with the Blazers being unreceptive to the Heat, there is little pressure to get a deal done right now. Furthermore, Lillard requested a trade during the 4th of July weekend. It's quite possible that today (June 5) is the first time that anyone has picked up the phone both in Portland and other NBA markets.
Why Is The Lillard Trade Taking So Long?
Despite wielding a lot of influence with the Blazers, Damian Lillard has very little tangible power when it comes to this trade. Sure, he can request a trade, but the Blazers hold all the cards that come with that. Lillard is under contract for two years, having already exercised his player option for 2024-25. The 2023/24 season is still months away, meaning that there is very little threat of Lillard sitting out games. Furthermore, Lillard doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract. This means that he gets absolutely no say in where he's heading either.
The other issue for the trade revolves around Lillard's price tag. A player in his prime, who was third in scoring last season, and has two guaranteed years on his contract demands a high price. Portland likely wants multiple first-rounders and at least one high-level talent in return. That already narrows down the list, as most teams who might be interested would want Dame to play alongside their elite players, not replace them in the linuep. Regardless, it appears that this situation is playing out exactly how Portland wants it to. While updates might be slow for this story, you'll be sure to find any that do occur here at HotNewHipHop.
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