Not long after NBA free agency got underway this past weekend, superstar guard Damian Lillard set the Twitterverse ablaze as he told the Portland Trail Blazers that he wants to be traded before next season.
With the Blazers drafting guard Scoot Henderson at No. 3 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft and agreeing to a massive five-year deal with forward Jerami Grant, it became clear to Lillard that the team is not in win-now mode despite the fact he urged the team to upgrade the roster this summer.
Although Henderson could ultimately turn into a legitimate superstar in the league, Lillard is 33 years old and unwilling to wait for another youth movement in Portland, as he is in the prime of his career right now with possibly only a few more years of playing at a high level.
It appears that Lillard has let it be known that he only wants to play for one team, with the perennial All-Star wanting to play alongside Jimmy Butler and close friend Bam Adebayo on the Miami Heat, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, via NBA Central.
Shams makes it clear that Damian Lillard only wants to play for the Miami Heat
Trade could end up a 4-team deal pic.twitter.com/Xq2hbBVzKf
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 3, 2023
Unfortunately for Lillard, the superstar guard doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract with the Blazers, so the team doesn’t have to agree to his request and can trade him to any team they want.
This causes a problem for Lillard as he intends to compete for a title, with the Heat giving him that opportunity if he were to join the storied franchise.
However, things tend to favor the player in these scenarios, and it may only be a matter of time before Lillard gets his wish of playing for Miami.
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