Damian Lillard’s Request for Trade to Miami Heat Sparks Negotiations with Portland Trail Blazers
The potential split between Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers has entered a new phase, labeled as a “chess match calculations” period. Lillard is determined to engineer a trade to the Miami Heat, while Joe Cronin, the General Manager of the Trail Blazers, is exploring other offers. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski shed light on the ongoing Lillard saga, detailing the conflicting aims and machinations of both sides in an extensive piece [subscription required].
According to league sources mentioned by Wojnarowski, Cronin and the Blazers are willing to honor Lillard’s trade request, but they are seeking the deepest return of assets available in exchange. Their primary goal is to acquire desirable draft picks and high-level young players, adopting a sliding scale superstar package approach. Cronin is placing his bets on the market response to overshadow the Heat’s interest in Lillard.
In executing the departure of their greatest player in franchise history, Cronin has been described by executives as devoid of sentiment. For both Lillard and the Blazers, it is strictly business. Lillard’s status as a star-level player grants him considerable influence and leverage in determining his destination. Wojnarowski emphasizes Lillard’s unwavering preference for joining the Miami Heat and highlights some tactics employed by Lillard and his representatives to ensure the deal goes through.
Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, has reportedly been contacting other teams interested in trading for Lillard and warning them about the player’s unhappiness. This move by Goodwin is a well-known agent maneuver to depress offers and facilitate Lillard’s desired outcome. It appears the strategy is aimed at steering potential suitors away from making competitive offers and paving the way for a predetermined move to the Heat.
While these recent developments may not come as a complete surprise given the circumstances, they do mark a departure from the previously perceived amicable relationship between Lillard and the Blazers. As the saying goes, even amicable divorces are still divorces. It remains to be seen how this situation will ultimately unfold.
As the trade negotiations continue and the chess match between Lillard and the Blazers intensifies, basketball fans eagerly await the resolution of this saga. Will Lillard succeed in joining the Miami Heat, or will the Trail Blazers manage to secure a deal that best serves their ambitions? Only time will tell.