Damian Lillard has finally done what NBA fans have been begging for him to do ever since it became clear that getting swept in the Western Conference Finals by a Kevin Durant-less Warriors team was the all the Blazers could achieve. He has requested a trade out of Portland. Dame and his team have given Joe Cronin some stipulations to abide by for where he lands but according to a Redditor, the Blazers guaranteeing him $449,910,157 gets in the way of Dame’s ideology of being placed wherever he wants.
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It has become very well known by now that the All-NBA guard wants to be on the Miami Heat when this is all said and done. Not only does he want to play on the Heat, he specifically wants to play alongside his close friend, Bam Adebayo, and also fully take in the concept of ‘Heat Culture’ under Pat Riley.
He’s even liked a tweet recently that states he should do what LeBron James did and go to Miami, win them a couple rings, and return home to Portland for their own title. Unfortunately for Dame, it has been reported by Adrian Wojnarowski that the Blazers won’t only look at the Heat as they want to explore all potential trade packages that come their way
Redditor claims Damian Lillard shouldn’t have all too much pull on where he goes
Damian Lillard, given the fact that he’s undoubtedly the greatest Portland Trailblazer, has had quite some pull on the front office over the past few years. he’s done everything from learn the way the salary cap works to scout the Blazers’ draft picks these past two years.
Now that he wants a trade out of Portland, he has demanded that he be dealt to the Miami Heat. While most NBA fans are rooting for someone as loyal as Dame to be sent to where he wants after 11 strenuous seasons, one Redditor in particular by the name of ‘podcast4ddict’ has said that the Blazers should deal him to a place that’s best for them.
Their reasoning for this controversial take on the ‘entitled All Star’ is that they have guaranteed him a whopping $449,910,157 up until the end of the 2026-27 season. This would be when Dame is towards the end of his mid-30s. With the Blazers guard earning nearly half a billion dollars from his stint in Portland, do Cronin and crew really have to send him exactly where he wants to go, asks the Redditor.
There are instances where front offices don’t do right by their franchise player when they trade him such as DeMar DeRozan to the Spurs or Derrick Rose to the Knicks. However, with Dame having had multiple opportunities to ask out over the past few years, perhaps this Redditor’s views on the situation aren’t all too egregious.
Do the Miami Heat have the best package for Dame?
Whether Damian Lillard wants to go to the Miami Heat or not is irrelevant when the Heat don’t have a trade package that can compete with others. Their picks aren’t worth anything when trading for an all-time great like Dame given that they never have high draft picks.
As for the package being centered around Tyler Herro, for the Blazers in particular, this also does not make sense as the Blazers have enough young backcourt, score-first talent like Sharpe, Henderson, and Simons. The only imaginable way the Blazers get a fair return for one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history is if a 3 team trade is orchestrated.
