Photo: Len Werle/OpenCourt-Basketball
Damian Lillard set the basketball world abuzz earlier this offseason when he announced his wish to leave the Portland Trail Blazers, stating unequivocally his preference to only join the Miami Heat. The situation became trickier with reports suggesting that Lillard might not fully honor his player contract if he’s traded to a franchise other than Miami Heat.
However, the NBA wasn’t pleased with this development and quickly took an action, issuing a memo to all 30 franchises this Friday. The memo warned Lillard and his agent Aaron Goodwin that more comments about Miami-specific demands could lead to disciplinary actions. The memo further cautioned the rest of the league’s players about future similar behavior.
Following Lillard’s Miami-focused trade demand, it was disclosed that Lillard made an assurance that regardless of the team he might end up with in a trade, he would perform his duties as a player and follow his contract.
“Goodwin and Lillard affirmed to us that Lillard would fully perform the services called for under his player contract in any trade scenario. The relevant teams provided descriptions of their communications with Goodwin that were mostly, though not entirely, consistent with Goodwin’s statements to us.”
Damian Lillard assured the NBA that he will give any team in the league his all-out effort
“Goodwin and Lillard affirmed to us that Lillard would fully perform the services called for under his player contract in any trade scenario. The relevant teams provided descriptions of… pic.twitter.com/kgAoj5lGMF
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 28, 2023
