Everything you need to know about 2023 NBA free agency
Dame Time is starting to turn into “Groundhog Day” across NBA Twitter.
As has been the case since 2012, Damian Lillard is still a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. The seven-time All-Star has been in trade rumors and photoshopped into various jerseys for years, and the noise has continued this offseason.
Lillard fanned the flames by saying Miami and Brooklyn would be enticing trade destinations because of his friendships with Heat center Bam Adebayo and Nets forward Mikal Bridges. He later posted an Instagram Live video in which Will Smith’s “Miami” was playing in the background, to which his agent said it was only a coincidence.
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The Blazers’ draft choice also fueled Lillard's trade scuttlebutt. The team moved up in the NBA draft lottery and used its No. 3 selection on promising point guard Scoot Henderson instead of using the pick in a trade package for a proven veteran.
Lillard met with Blazers brass on Monday and general manager Joe Cronin said the organization is “committed to building a winner around Dame.” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Tuesday that Lillard did not request a trade and that he will be watching what Cronin and the front office do in free agency. The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported that Lillard’s “dream scenario” would include the Blazers signing impending free agent Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
There is certainly a lot of noise surrounding Lillard, and the possibility of a player of his caliber changing teams would send ripples across the NBA.
However, many fans feel like they’ve seen this act before and are sick of Lillard's “updates” that don’t involve him actually getting traded.
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Just last summer, Lillard signed a two-year max extension that locked him in through the 2026-27 season. A newly inked extension hasn’t stopped players from getting dealt to their preferred destination – see Kevin Durant – so it’s entirely possible Lillard and the Blazers could work together to find him a new home.
Lillard hasn’t “run from the grind” yet, and it’s gotten to the point where fans will only believe it when they see it.
