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Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard addressed his reported trade request and the inevitable fan fallout it has created.
Lillard said Sunday his instinct is to “take the high road” and seemed to defend his decision to seek an exit after 11 seasons:
Damian Lillard @Dame_Lillard
It’s in my blood to take the high road. I’d love to hear what fans are turning on… have I mislead them? Or anyone ? Fill me in https://t.co/rkn7irDlpo
No matter the circumstance, a portion of the fanbase is bound to be upset when a star player requests a trade, especially when the player in question means as much as Lillard does to the Blazers.
For the most part, though, there seems to be a level of acceptance at what has transpired.
The seven-time All-Star has spent more than a decade in the Pacific Northwest and made it out of the first round on just three occasions over that span.
Lillard told HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto that lifting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy is “extremely important to my legacy.” With the Trail Blazers losing 49 games and missing the postseason altogether in 2022-23, almost everyone will agree his best chance of finally winning a title lies elsewhere.
Without addressing the situation directly himself, Lillard also made it pretty clear what he hoped to see from Portland’s front office this offseason.
Days before the 2023 NBA draft, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst relayed how the 32-year-old “does not want a youth movement” and instead wanted veterans who could provide immediate help.
Get Up @GetUpESPN
.@WindhorstESPN says Damian Lillard could ask out of Portland if they don’t trade No. 3 pick:
“Dame does not want a youth movement [and] wants to play with veterans.” pic.twitter.com/41iQzvip1g
From that perspective, general manager Joe Cronin may have crossed the rubicon when he held onto the No. 3 overall pick and selected Scoot Henderson. Failing to turn that pick into ready-made reinforcements—even if defensible in the bigger picture—probably wasn’t a decision received well by Lillard.
And while he hadn’t explicitly tied his future to whatever Portland did with its first-rounder, plenty of assumptions were made. When Cronin hitched his wagons to Henderson, a trade request seemed more likely to follow.
The only critique one could make of Lillard is that he could’ve communicated his request before the Blazers reportedly agreed to a five-year, $160 million contract with Jerami Grant. They executed that move almost entirely to placate their best player, and now they’ll be saddled with that deal for the foreseeable future.
Of course, Portland knew full well that re-signing Grant wouldn’t on its own guarantee Lillard’s continued loyalty.
Cronin is now left to make the most of what quickly became the worst-case scenario.
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