Damian Lillard finally asks the Blazers for a trade
From staff and wire services
One of the NBA’s longest marriages between superstar and team could finally be headed for a divorce.
After months of increasing speculation, Damian Lillard issued a trade request to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, setting the table for what could be the most significant deal of the offseason, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed.
Lillard, 32, is a seven-time all-star who has been synonymous with the Blazers since he arrived as the sixth pick of the 2012 draft from Weber State. The Oakland, California, native made an instant impact by winning 2013 rookie of the year honors, and he sealed his reputation for clutch shot-making with playoff series-winning 3-pointers against the Houston Rockets in 2014 and the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019.
The Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets have emerged as potential destinations for Lillard, who is seeking his first championship and has reached the conference finals just once. Miami’s NBA Finals loss to the Denver Nuggets last month revealed its need for more backcourt scoring and star power, while Brooklyn could be looking to bolster a new-look core after trading Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden over the past 18 months. Lillard has made no secret about his friendships with Heat center Bam Adebayo and Nets forward Mikal Bridges.
From an asset perspective, the Nets are probably better positioned to trade for Lillard than the Heat given their bounty of future draft picks. Miami is Lillard’s preference, however, and it might give him the best opportunity to compete for a title immediately. The Heat, which would be seeking to build a “Big 3” with Jimmy Butler, Lillard and Adebayo, have two future first-round picks, scoring guard Tyler Herro, guard Kyle Lowry’s expiring contract and recent first-round picks Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. to potentially offer to Portland.
Lillard’s trade request, which came a day after the Blazers agreed to sign forward Jerami Grant to a five-year contract worth $160 million, was first reported by Bleacher Report. Portland has yet to make any other significant additions via free agency or trade, and it lost two players from last year’s team, Drew Eubanks and Cam Reddish, in free agency Friday.
During his exit interview in April, Lillard clearly expressed his hope that Portland would add veterans rather than pursue a developmental path.
“I don’t have much of an appetite for building (with) guys who are two and three years away from really going after it,” he said. “I just ain’t interested in that. This is not a secret. I want a chance to go for it. If the route is to do that, that’s not my route.”
Golden State Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the only active players who have been with their teams longer than Lillard’s 11-year run with the Blazers. While Lillard has long stressed his loyalty to the Rose City, including in several of his rap songs, the Blazers have struggled to build a consistent winner following the 2018 death of owner Paul Allen.
Jody Allen, Paul’s sister, stepped in as owner but has resisted calls to sell the team during an extended period of organizational turmoil. In the years that followed Allen’s death, Terry Stotts was fired as coach, general manager Neil Olshey was fired after a workplace misconduct investigation, and former president Chris McGowan left the organization to pursue another opportunity. The Blazers moved forward with a leadership team that includes general manager Joe Cronin, president Dewayne Hankins and coach Chauncey Billups, all of whom were first-timers when hired.
Portland has missed the playoffs in both of Billups’ seasons on the bench and has gradually entered a youth movement by shipping out veterans CJ McCollum and Norman Powell in 2022 trades and selecting Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe with back-to-back lottery picks.
The Blazers’ offseason approach was surely shaped by the results of the draft lottery drawing in May; they moved up from the No. 5 spot in the order to claim the No. 3 pick and the chance to select Henderson, who spent the past two seasons with the G League Ignite. Henderson, 19, looms as Lillard’s heir apparent if the Blazers can find a trade.
“I’m ready to contribute wherever I go,” Henderson said on the day before the draft. I think I could help (Lillard). Whatever play time I get, I’m going to go in there and kill.”
Lillard signed a four-year, $176 million contract extension last summer that runs through the 2026-27 season, his age-36 season. Trade suitors will need to balance the quality of his play – he was named All-NBA third team despite playing only 58 games last season – against his age, injury history and the fact that he will be on the books for more than $60 million in the final year of his deal. Lillard, who enjoyed near perfect availability in his first nine seasons, played just 29 games in 2021-22 as he battled an abdominal injury that required surgery.
Report: Sabonis inks extension with Sacramento
Former Gonzaga big man Domantas Sabonis agreed to a five-year $217 million extension with the Sacramento Kings, ESPN reported on Saturday.
Sabonis, who had one more season under his previous contract, is now signed through 2028.
Sabonis averaged 19.1 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, was named to his third All-Star team and was on the All-NBA third team in 2022-23.