Credit: Twitter
Damian Lillard, the Portland Trail Blazers point guard, reportedly demanded a trade on July 1, Saturday, when free agency in the NBA began. Since then, it has been revealed that several teams in the league have inquired about a trade with the Trail Blazers, including Celtics, Clippers, Pelican, and Timberwolves, among others.
The seven-time NBA all-star, who has been a part of Portland since 2012, after getting selected as the sixth overall draft pick in the NBA draft, has been an institution at the franchise for the last decade. The former NBA Rookie of the Year has a history of coming clutch in big moments for the Trail Blazers, making big shots when it matters the most.
Chris Haynes, the NBA insider for TNT and Bleacher Report, on his podcast, said the following about the potential Damian Lillard trade, “The Clippers, the Timberwolves, Pelicans, Boston Celtics, those are the team off the top of my head, I’m pretty sure there were more, those were the teams that I know called out to reach out to see what it would take (to land Lillard).”
Following his trade request to Trail Blazers, Lillard has responded to a tweet from a podcast host, who was surprised about how the fans have turned on the NBA star. He was quoted as saying on Twitter, “It’s in my blood to take the high road. I’d love to hear what fans are turning on… have I mislead them? Or anyone ? Fill me in.”
Meanwhile, the GM of Portland, Joe Cronin has sent out a statement, mentioning that the team will be looking to give the best possible contract to Damian Lillard to convince him to stay. He said, “We have been clear that we want Dame here but he notified us today he wants out and he’d prefer to play someplace else. What has not changed for us is that we’re committed to winning, and we are going to do what’s best for the team in pursuit of that goal.”
