Damian Lillard is sort of pleading to be traded out of Portland at this level and NBA Analyst Stephen A. Smith is doing a little pleading of his personal.
Lillard appeared on Showtime’s The Last Stand the place he was requested about hypothetical commerce locations – Knicks, Nets, Heat or Celtics and Lillard didn’t hesitate to reply.
“Miami obviously,” Lillard stated. “Miami is the obvious one, and Bam (Adebayo) is my dawg. Bam is my dawg for real. Miami is the obvious one.”
Meanwhile on First Take on Wednesday morning, Smith pleaded to eight-time All-Star Lillard to swap groups.
“I have been begging Damian Lillard to get the hell out of Portland,” Smith stated. “You’re not winning there. You’re not getting any free agents to come there. It’s just not going to happen. Who doesn’t love the thought of playing with Damian Lillard? What’s the issue? He’s in Portland! You’re not getting anybody to come to Portland, so Damian Lillard…you ain’t going anywhere! This is a superstar… it’s a crying damn shame that he is in Portland, Oregon…the bottom line is he needs to get the hell out of there.”
Pelicans guard CJ McCollum was on the episode as nicely and he thinks Dame’s time on the Blazers is over.
“If I was a betting man, I would say this is the last that we’ve seen of him (in Portland),” McCollum stated.
Another NBA Insider, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has talked about a number of occasions that Miami could be a fantastic touchdown spot for Lillard.
“It feels strange to me to talk about a team in the Finals, like the Miami Heat, but the Miami Heat make a lot of sense if Dame were to become available,” The NBA Insider said recently. “They have a number of future first-round picks they can trade. They have a number of interesting young players. It would be a really fascinating opportunity if he were to come to market.”
The Trail Blazers have the third choose within the upcoming draft and GM Joe Cronin told Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer the franchise was “trying to win and trying to maximize Damian’s timeline” in May.
But on Wednesday, Fischer said that, “rival teams are skeptical Portland will find a suitable trade partner for that coveted selection before the Blazers come on the clock.”
33-year-old Lillard has made it abundantly clear that he gained’t keep in Portland if the group is angling for a rebuild.
So it is going to be fascinating to see how the 2023 NBA Draft performs out and the following summer season.
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