The Damian Lillard era of the Portland Trail Blazers appears to be coming to an end, with trade talks reportedly heating up and all signs now pointing to the team making a deal with the Toronto Raptors before the start of the 2023-24 NBA season.
Even though Lillard has adamantly requested to be traded to the Miami Heat and repeatedly stood by that request, the Blazers brass have done their due diligence around the league, with the Raptors potentially offering an intriguing trade package.
Although all signs point to the Raptors acquiring Lillard at some point in the near future, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes the perennial All-Star should join fellow superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Los Angeles Lakers, via “First Take.”
Imagine 🔥 @stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/vgP86KeRli
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 26, 2023
Before the Lakers made the ill-advised trade to bring in Russell Westbrook, Lillard met with James and Davis to talk about potentially teaming up in Los Angeles.
For whatever reason, Lillard decided not to make a trade request at that time, which has led to the predicament that he’s in now with his fate out of his hands.
However, if Lillard had requested a trade to the Lakers back then, the same thing might’ve happened, as the Blazers clearly don’t care where the face of the franchise for the past decade wants to go.
At this point, it seems that Lillard can only wait and see what the future holds for him, as he has no say in where he’ll be traded, which likely means he’s headed to Toronto if these trade talks continue.
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