The Portland Trail Blazers fell short of making the NBA playoffs last season but found themselves in a unique position to add a promising young talent to their roster by selecting Scoot Henderson with the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
While Henderson’s addition brings optimism to the team, it’s important to consider that his impact may not be immediate and does not guarantee the star-level performance necessary for the Blazers to become a championship contender.
This stands in contrasts to the preferences of Blazers superstar Damian Lillard, who wishes to play alongside experienced players capable of making immediate impact. As a result, Lillard has officially requested a trade. While his dream destination are the Miami Heat, the Blazers do not plan to cooperate with the All-Star.
The Trail Blazers do not plan to cooperate with Damian Lillard on his trade request to the Heat, per @wojespn:
– Portland “open for business everywhere in the league” on trading Lillard.
– Blazers seeking a combination of young players, draft picks and cap relief.
– Miami has… pic.twitter.com/n7y8PtaCgo
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 2, 2023
After plenty of Blazers fans started to criticized him, Lillard now spoke about the trade request for the first time, asking fans whether he has misled them to cause them to turn on him.
“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.”
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
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) July 2, 2023