Damian Lillard has publicly asked for a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers. After spending 11 seasons chasing the Larry O’Brien trophy with them, Lillard has finally realized that loyalty alone wasn’t going to win him a Championship. The harsh truth is that the Oregon side’s roster was never constructed well enough to compete for a title. And with Jody Allen, the owner of the franchise, worried about going into the luxury tax, fans have been wanting the franchise to be sold to Phil Knight. Even Dame recently liked a tweet that suggested that the Blazers should be sold to the $42.1 billion worth businessman.
Advertisement
It’s been more than two weeks now since Damian Lillard demanded a trade. Miami Heat is the preferred destination that can acquire the 6-foot-2 Guard. However, the Trail Blazers don’t seem to be inching close to agreeing upon a deal. Joe Cronin, the Blazer’s General Manager, even stated that they were willing to wait for months to get the best package in exchange for their star.
Damian Lillard liked a tweet asking the Trail Blazers to be sold to Phil Knight
Phil Knight, who is born and raised in Oregon, has often expressed his interest in purchasing the Portland Trail Blazers. And admittedly, for somebody worth north of the $40 billion mark, purchasing a franchise worth $2.1+ billion shouldn’t be a problem either. ‘The Shoe Dog’ has even made several attempts to buy the team. But, Jody Allen keeps rejecting Nike’s co-founder’s offer.
Recently, fans have been appealing to the front office to sell the franchise to Knight. Damian Lillard even liked Daniel Redelk’s tweet, pleading for the Trail Blazers franchise to be sold to Phil Knight. Take a look at the screenshot of Lillard’s Twitter activity in @503Blazerfans’ tweet.
If the Blazers were sold to the 85-year-old, he’d splurge lavishly, adding vital players required to win a title. Unlike Allen, Phil Knight wouldn’t be afraid to spend the big bucks.
The Trail Blazers have been unsuccessful in backing Lillard with a Championship-winning squad
Ever since Damian Lillard was drafted in 2012, the team has had a change of fortunes. Since the early 2000s, the Portland side was merely a lottery-bound team. However, since 2013, Lillard led the franchise to eight-straight postseason appearances.
Apart from their sole Western Conference Finals trip in 2019, the franchise hasn’t come close to winning the NBA Championship. In fact, they haven’t even made a top-2 finish in their conference since the 1998-1999 season.
Giving respect where it’s due, Lillard did try his best to win with the franchise. So, one cannot hate him for finally asking out in order to strengthen his chances of adding a Championship to his resume.
