The Damian Lillard saga continues. While the Blazers have asked teams to send their "best offers", Lillard's agent has been warning teams not to make offers for the star. According to his agent, teams who are not the Miami Heat will be receiving an "unhappy" version of Lillard who will not be playing his best basketball.
However, Lillard's camp are also in a tough position. Despite the influence that comes with his longevity with the club, he has very little power in the trade discussions. 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.
Stephen A Says Lillard Has Earned The Right To Dictate Trade
"Damian Lillard has earned the right to want out," Smith began. "More importantly, a player of his caliber has earned the right to go where he wants to go. And if people are gonna open their mouth and sit up and say 'Well hey, if you're gonna give the impression that you're not going to be happy.' Well listen, they're probably not lying but so what? Why should he go some place where he's not going to be happy? Listen, he is good in Portland. He wanted them to be a better franchise. He wanted them to win, he wanted them to put the pieces in place. In Portland, you're not going to be able to go out there and recruit marquee free agents. Since you can't get anyone to come there, you're going to have to go elsewhere."
It's a sentiment echoed by many fans and figures around the league. Lillard put his heart into playing his best basketball in Portland. He ends his time in Portland as a seven-time all-star and averaging 25.2 points per game. Furthermore, he comes off the best season of his career. He scored 32.2 points per game, third in the league. However, the Blazers need to try and save face, not acquiescing to the demands of their star player. Despite this, it seems that we are nowhere near a conclusion to this trade. Where do you think Dame will end up? Let us know in the comments. Follow all the latest sports news here at HotNewHipHop.
[via]