Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has requested a trade, general manager Joe Cronin said Saturday.
“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,” Cronin said in a statement. “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.”
The Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets are expected to be the top suitors for the seven-time All-Star guard, but per The Athletic, Lillard wants to play in Miami.
Lillard reportedly met with Portland team officials earlier this week to discuss the franchise’s direction. He is said to be unhappy with Portland’s decision to use the No. 3 overall pick in last month’s draft on rookie point guard Scoot Henderson instead of trading it to acquire a high-level co-star such as New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson.
Henderson, who played for G League Ignite, would be a building block along with second-year shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe in a post-Lillard era.
Lillard, who turns 33 on July 15, has played his entire 11-year career with Portland, who drafted him with the No. 6 overall pick in 2012.
He averaged a franchise-record 32.2 points per game in 2022-23, the third-highest clip in the league, but Portland finished 33-49 and missed the playoffs for the second straight season.
Lillard is scheduled to earn $45.6 million for the 2023-24 season. He signed a four-year, $176.3 million deal in July 2022.
Named one of the NBA’s 75 greatest players of all time in 2021, Lillard won Rookie of the Year honors in 2012-13 and has made All-NBA teams seven times. He is Portland’s career leader in points (19,376) and 3-point field goals (2,387).
–Field Level Media
