Getty Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers.
The New York Knicks are not Damian Lillard‘s preferred destination, but it did not stop his former Portland teammate Josh Hart from throwing his pitch.
Hart, who opted into his $12.9 million player option to return to the Knicks after a mid-season trade, posted an interesting tweet that quickly went viral after news broke out about Lillard’s trade request.
Hey @Dame_Lillard 🙋🏽♂️
According to multiple reports, Lillard’s preferred landing spot is the Knicks’ rival and last playoffs’ tormentor Miami Heat.
In a June 6 interview with Showtime Sports’ The Last Stand, Lillard explained why he prefers the Heat and Knicks’ crosstown rivals Brooklyn Nets.
“Miami, obviously,” Lillard said at that time. “Miami is the obvious one, and Bam [Adebayo] is my dog. I think Miami is an obvious one. Brooklyn is another obvious one because Mikal Bridges is my dog too. And both have capable rosters.”
But since Lillard does not have a no-trade clause, unlike Bradley Beal, the Trail Blazers can send him to a team other than the Heat or the Nets, who could give them the best package.
Hart and Lillard forged a friendship during the former’s short stint in Portland, and the Trail Blazers superstar was stunned when Hart was traded to the Knicks.
“It’s the thing I struggle with the most”
Damian Lillard on Josh Hart being traded
“We actually formed a friendship…I know he liked being in Portland and wanted to be in Portland…the business side takes over, it’s just unfortunate”
Despite Lillard’s preference to land in Miami, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers will have an interest in exploring trades, according to ESPN.
Miles Bridges to Knicks?
One of the few big-name free agents left is Miles Bridges.
The Charlotte Hornets forward, who had a breakout season before he was involved in an ugly domestic dispute, has the Knicks as a potential landing spot.
“There aren’t many teams that could sign him and cope with the backlash, and not a lot of teams even have him on the board,” one Eastern Conference executive told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney. “But the Knicks are in a small group of teams that could. There’s only a few.”
Bridges averaged 20.2 points and 7.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists, all career highs, and was expected to bag a lucrative extension with the Hornets last summer.
The restricted free agent received a 30-game suspension. However, since he was not under contract last season, he will only serve 10 games this season after he pleaded no contest to one felony count of domestic violence in November to avoid jail time.
Ex-Knicks Coach Axed
Former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy was among the 20 big-name on-air personalities that ESPN laid off in a cost-cutting effort by the network dubbed as the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
New York Post was the first to report on the massive layoffs at ESPN on Friday.
Van Gundy, 61, spent the last 16 years with the network creating on-air chemistry with former Knicks guard Mark Jackson and long-time Knicks play-by-play anchor Mike Breen.
“Jeff Van Gundy is a stunner. He was making millions,” a source told Front Office Sports. “He and [Mike] Breen are the most watchable on ESPN’s NBA coverage.”
Van Gundy is the third-winningest coach in Knicks history with 248 wins, 25 victories ahead of Pat Riley.