After over a decade of pledging his loyalty to the Portland Trail Blazers, superstar guard Damian Lillard has had enough of losing and wants to be traded by the team that drafted him back in 2012 before the start of next season.
Lillard has told the Blazers franchise that he prefers to be traded to the Miami Heat or Brooklyn Nets, as he’d like to play alongside one of his close friends, Bam Adebayo and Mikal Bridges.
However, Lillard doesn’t possess a no-trade clause in his contract like Bradley Beal when he forced his way to the Phoenix Suns from the Washington Wizards with the power of being able to veto any trade destination he didn’t like.
That said, the Blazers fully intend to find the best deal they possibly can to bring back assets to win now rather than later, which means Lillard might not get his wish.
According to The Athletic via NBA Central, one team that has emerged as a potential trade suitor for the Blazers is the Utah Jazz.
The Utah Jazz are expected to show interest in Damian Lillard, per @TheAthletic
Can this duo make some noise? 👀 pic.twitter.com/33lCRYM70b
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 2, 2023
The Jazz are no stranger to making blockbuster trades, as they made two of them before the start of last season, which was thought to signal the beginning of an extensive rebuilding process in Salt Lake City.
Utah sent Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves, with a pile of assets coming back to the Jazz in return.
Fortunately for the Jazz, the team was able to put together a squad that flirted with making the playoffs, with Lauri Markkanen becoming a legitimate star and players like Walker Kessler proving to be much better than expected.
The addition of Lillard could make the Jazz a force to be reckoned with next season, which makes Utah an intriguing trade destination moving forward.
NEXT: The Jazz Have Re-Signed A Key Veteran To A Long-Term Deal
