The drama surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard continues to add chapters to this saga. In the latest entry, Portland general manager Joe Cronin announced that he was content to wait months before shipping his superstar. To Cronin’s credit, he remained steadfast in his belief that the team should not move Lillard until they had received the organization’s best offer.
“So I think that’s the approach I take with this and it will be with this. We’re going to be patient. We’re going to do what’s best for our team. We’ll see how this pans out. If it takes months, it takes months.”
The Trail Blazers know that a team that loses a star in a trade to Dame’s caliber will always be the loser in the long run. However, the team is smart and evaluates every potential trade package that comes their way.
Portland Trail Blazers Joe Cronin says a deal could take months to complete for Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard is still excited about just playing for the Miami Heat
Damian Lillard is still determined to only play for the Miami Heat. Recently, his agent has reportedly been reaching out to other teams around the league warning them against trading the multi-time All-Star Game. While it’s understandable that Lillard would want to go to a championship contender, it’s also important to note that he doesn’t have a no-trade clause.
This is not another Bradley Bell position. As a result, the Portland Trail Blazers have the final decision on where to send Lillard. The ladies may just want Miami, but Joe Cronin will go for what’s best for the team at the end of the day. That’s something he and the organization at least owe to the fans, regardless of what Lillard may have done for them in the past. Overall, this tale continues to be the biggest off-season story.
Potential teams that could trade to the Portland Trail Blazers
Since the Trail Blazers are not satisfied with what Miami has given them, this indicates that they are willing to play ball with other teams. Remember that three-band trading is not out of the equation. Other teams that have expressed interest in the seven-time All-Star Game include the Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers. Jason Tatum has reportedly been trying to lure Lillard to Boston and the Philadelphia 76ers are having a bit of a deadlock right now with James Harden wanting to be traded. Regardless, the Portland Trail Blazers will do what’s best for their team, whether that’s dealing with Lillard to Miami or somewhere else.