Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers have officially reached a stalemate.
The talented point guard is still adamant about being traded, and the team hasn’t caved in on its intention to get top-notch value in return for his contract.
Lillard reportedly only wants to play for the Miami Heat, and his camp allegedly reached out to other teams warning against trading for him, stating that he would be disgruntled anywhere else.
The league even sent out a memo advising Lillard against this practice, hinting at potential discipline for doing so.
However, regardless of all that, NBA analyst J.E. Skeets recently said that the memo shouldn’t change anything and predicted it’s just a matter of time before Lillard forces his way to South Beach, especially now that rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. is also available for trade (via Dru Star).
“I don’t think this [memo] changes anything. I think this trade happens quite soon my gut says. I ultimately think Damian Lillard is gonna find his way to Miami…Jaime Jaquez Jr. is now available, eligible to be traded…I do think this happens sooner rather than later”- @jeskeets pic.twitter.com/NGpRcanMFT
— Dru (@dru_star) August 3, 2023
The Heat have made several offers, but the Blazers are reportedly unimpressed with them.
Nonetheless, it could all go down to a point where they realize they have to take whatever they can get for Lillard, as he’s not going to change his mind.
And even if he would, keeping him won’t be in their best interest at the moment, as they should be looking to build around Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, as opposed to having Lillard here taking shots away from them.
The Blazers want to play hardball, but it seems like it’s a matter of when this trade will go down and how much the Heat will give up.
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