The Portland Trail Blazers have stood their ground.
Despite Damian Lillard’s desire to be traded to the Miami Heat, GM Joe Cronin has made it loud and clear that they will only consider moving him if they receive a suitable offer.
The Heat have been unable to meet their asking price for their superstar guard, and it doesn’t seem like the Blazers are actively trying to do anything to change that situation.
As a matter of fact, Blazers insider Sean Highkin recently said on the Rose Garden Report podcast that the Blazers aren’t even engaged in trade talks with the Heat — or any other team — at the moment (via Dru).
“As of right now [Dame] is still on the roster. There are not any kind of real talks with Miami or anybody else about him being traded” – @highkin pic.twitter.com/230K3VvXzm
— Dru (@dru_star) July 27, 2023
The Blazers are reportedly hoping that Lillard will eventually change his mind about being traded and just decide to stay in Portland, at least for a couple of months.
That doesn’t seem to be in their best interest, as they have already added Scoot Henderson to their roster, and having another ball-dominant guard could only hamper his development at this critical stage in his young career.
Perhaps, they’ll be better off convincing him to be traded to a different destination, as there are many other teams that could make significantly better offers than the Heat.
Eventually, Lillard will have to ponder whether he’s better off in Portland or pursuing a different path out of Rip City.
If not, things could get quite uncomfortable and awkward for everybody involved, as it has happened with Ben Simmons and/or James Harden in the past.
NEXT:
Ramona Shelburne Casts Doubt On Damian Lillard’s Trade Timetable