It’s been quiet on the Damian Lillard trade front after the NBA sent a memo to all teams after rumors swirled the Portland Trail Blazers star only wanted to play for the Miami Heat next season. His agent reportedly even went as far to tell teams to not offer Portland anything if they weren’t the Heat.
But now the seven-time All-Star is (kind of) speaking out, confirming to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears that he did request a trade from the Trail Blazers — the only team he’s played for during his 11-year career.
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“I’m not gonna speak on the Blazers, a lot of love and respect but I won’t speak on the Blazers,” Lillard told Spears. “I can say that there was (a trade request made) and I would just prefer not to speak on the Trail Blazers.”
Maybe Lillard doesn’t want to risk getting fined and knows there’s a chance he may not get traded. He still has control on his contract, and the Blazers, understandably, want to get the most for a player who still has plenty to give to a team.
Lillard has never been to the NBA Finals, and going to a team like the Heat — who appeared in the Finals in 2023 — has the possibility of giving the 33-year-old a solid chance at the one thing that’s at the top of his list: Hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
“I would say the desire for that now is as high as it’s probably going to be. That’s literally the thing at the top of my list,” Lillard told Spears. “When I wake up and I got to get up and go do what I got to do, I got to train, I got to make time for my kids, I still got to lift, I got to do all these things and I got to make sure that training and the preparation is still my priority.
“Even with being a father of three now, not one, and having all these other responsibilities, you need something that you feel pretty strong about to stay committed the way I’ve been committed,” he continued. “It’s as high as it’s going to get. That’s ultimately what I want to experience and that’s what I want to get done.”
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It’s unclear what Lillard’s future holds or where he’ll play next season. While he’s specifically mentioned the Heat before, all reports point to the franchise not being able to put together a desirable trade package on their own. Involving a third team would complicate things, especially if a team that can get it done by itself swoops in.
For now, Lillard remains a part of the Trail Blazers organization with training camp set to begin next month.
