Getty Images Damian Lillard (left) of the Portland Trail Blazers and Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns.
Kevin Durant is no stranger to trade requests. He had to make two before the Brooklyn Nets eventually succumbed to his demands and sent him to the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster deadline trade. But now the latest disgruntled star to hit the market is Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.
Despite signing a max contract extension back in 2022, the All-Star guard has requested a trade from the franchise, to the disdain of many Blazers fans. However, Durant says Lillard’s trade demand is not a “big deal.”
“Fans love the game of basketball, they will move on just like they do when the organization trades a fan favorite,” Durant tweeted. “In this case, portland fans can’t wait to watch scoots career. I don’t see what the big deal is.”
@JoshEberley Fans love the game of basketball, they will move on just like they do when the organization trades a fan favorite. In this case, portland fans can’t wait to watch scoots career. I don’t see what the big deal is
Damian Lillard Requests Trade From Blazers
As a big star in a small market, Lillard for years vowed loyalty to Portland. But Lillard, who will turn 33 on July 15, has also expressed his desire to compete for a championship as he enters the latter years of his NBA career. The Blazers have missed the playoffs the past two years and have reached the Western Conference finals just once (2019) in his 11 years in the league.
The Blazers had an opportunity to build a better roster around Lillard when they drew the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft lottery. Instead of using the pick to trade for another disgruntled star, the Blazers opted to draft G-League standout Scoot Henderson, who seemed to relish the opportunity to play alongside the All-Star guard.
“I’d love to play with him,” Henderson told Bleacher Report. “We have a great relationship. But whatever happens, happens.”
On the second day of free agency, when it became apparent that the Blazers were going to make significant additions to the team, Lillard requested a trade.
Lillard was drafted by the Blazers in 2012 and has said he wanted a long career with the team.
“He has talked time and time again about how he wants to play his whole career in Portland,” The Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin told Oregon Public Radio on July 3. “He really, really values his connection with the city, and he’s done a lot in the community.”
Lillard stuck it out as long as he could, but when the Blazers did not trade their lottery pick for another superstar and instead drafted Henderson, a guard, Lillard knew Portland was in rebuild mode, Highkin said.
“Dame — I think — felt like, ‘OK, not only did they not use the pick [to] trade, but they drafted somebody who played the same position as me,” Highkin told Oregon Public Radio.
Damian Lillard at Odds With Blazers Over Trade
For years, fans had salivated for Lillard to demand a trade from the Blazers because their lack of talent usually left him on the outside of the picture of true title contenders. But, as the quote from the 2008 film “The Dark Knight” goes, “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.”
The Blazers have vowed to grant Lillard’s request but also want the return of the trade on their end to be significant. Multiple reports have confirmed that Lillard wants to be traded only to the Miami Heat. However, the Blazers are not prepared to accept any of the trade assets the Heat have to offer, causing a rift between the two sides.
One source familiar with the situation told Mark Medina of SportsNaut that if Lillard were to be traded anywhere but the Miami Heat, he “wouldn’t report” to training camp.
“He just wouldn’t go,” the source said to Medina. “He just wouldn’t report.”