It seemed like it would never happen. Until today. According to what several journalists covering the NBA have been able to confirm, Damian Lillard has requested the transfer to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The news, a real bombshell in the NBA market, has been announced by Shams Charania of the athletic. Later Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN have reported that the Oregon franchise is expected to work to find a new destination without impediments to the decision of its, still, best player.
Damian Lillard, about to turn 33 this July, is the all-time leader in scoring for the Trail Blazers with 20,945 points. The point guard has played his entire career in Portland since he was chosen sixth in the 2012 draft. In fact, in the NBA only Stephen Curry (2009) and Klay Thompson (2011) have been with the same franchise for longer than Lillard.
During the 2022-23 season, Lillard has averaged 32.2 points, 7.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds with 46.3% shooting from the field and 37.1% from three-pointers. His level of play has allowed him to be chosen for one of the three All-NBA quintets for the seventh time in his professional stage, the fourth in the last five seasons.
However, their performance has not served to achieve objectives at the group level. The Blazers have finished with a record of 33 wins and 49 losses and have missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. That bad position allowed Portland to enter the Draft lottery and get the choose number 3, choice with which they opted for Scoot Henderson, a point guard considerably younger than Lillard and who does not enter the same timeline as the veteran player.
Options for Lillard
The Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers are expected to bid for Damian Lillard, though given that he is one of the best players in the competition — a member of the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History — other teams will ask about the compensation that Portland seeks in exchange for the point guard.
Lillard’s wishes, if taken into account, could help him end up in Miami, a city where he is interested in playing according to information handled by journalists Shams Charania and Sam Amick.
According to Adrian Wojnaroski, the Blazers will prioritize getting young players and draft rounds to get rid of their password.
Developing.
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
