The NBA has sent out a memo to teams on Friday that Damian Lillard and his agent confirmed that the All-Star guard would honor his contract in any potential trade, despite the agent saying Lillard only wanted to be dealt to the Miami Heat.
A memo sent to general managers and first obtained by ESPN also warned that Lillard would be subject to discipline by the league if he or Aaron Goodwin, his agent, make additional comments suggesting that he won’t fully perform the requirements of his contract in the event of a trade.
Lillard told the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this month he wanted to be traded and Goodwin subsequently made clear his preference was Miami.
‘Dame’s position won’t change,’ Goodwin told The Associated Press on July 6. ‘This entire situation was about building an opportunity for Portland to win or giving him another opportunity that he wants, which is Miami.’
The league said it interviewed Lillard and Goodwin, along with several teams with whom Goodwin spoke. Goodwin denied telling teams that Lillard would refuse to play for them and the teams provided descriptions that were ‘mostly, though not entirely, consistent with Goodwin’s statements to us.’
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard has gone public about his trade request to Miami
Players are not allowed to publicly request trades. The league also stated in the memo that it told the Players Association that further comments such as Goodwin’s will be subject to discipline.
Earlier this month, Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin revealed that he hasn’t spoken with Lillard since the franchise cornerstone asked to be traded on July 1.
And whether he does or not, Portland’s front office insisted that it’s in no hurry.
‘We’re going to be patient,’ Cronin said. ‘We’re going to do what’s best for our team. We’re going to see, you know, how this lands. And if it takes months, it takes months.’
‘As a team, you always hope that you have more options. To have limited options like that, I wouldn’t call it frustrating, but it prevents you from perhaps getting the best return. So, it’s something that we’ll have to work through.’
And in his eyes, there’s still hope that Lillard – a seven-time All-Star – changes his mind – although there’s been no indication that will happen.
‘I haven’t lost hope, just because I understand this league is complicated and things change very quickly sometimes,’ Cronin said.
Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin said he is willing to be patient to get the assets he wants for Lillard
The Blazers have a core of young talent – Anfernee Simons just turned 24, Shaedon Sharpe is going into his second season after being the No. 7 pick in 2022 and point guard Scoot Henderson is entering the league as the No. 3 pick in this draft.
Cronin said he gets why Lillard would look at the Blazers, as currently constructed, and feel like there isn’t a clear path to contending for a title this coming season.
‘I could see why Dame would look at it and say, ”Well, this isn’t a win-now opportunity, or at least as much of a win-now opportunity in some other places,”’ Cronin said.
‘So, from that regard, I understand his position and I respect it and it makes sense to me why he would like to go elsewhere.’
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But Cronin also believes that great days are coming for Simons, Sharpe and Henderson.
‘Those guys are going to impact winning very soon in this league,’ Cronin said.
If Lillard leaves the West Coast, then the Trail Blazers will build around Anfonee Simmons, left
Lillard is coming off a season in which he averaged 32.2 points for the Trail Blazers. He is a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, but he has never been close to a title in his 11 seasons in the league.
He met with Portland multiple times, asking for the roster to be upgraded to the point where he can compete for a championship. But those efforts did not go to Lillard’s liking. And now, the trade watch is on.
‘It’s just hard. How do you replace Damian Lillard? Who is the person in the marketplaces that is available that is a better player than Dame?’ Cronin said. ‘No team more than us knows what this market looks like.
‘We’ve been trying for 18 months to find the Dame equivalent at another position or someone that’s 80 percent of Dame, even. So, that’s the challenge and that’s why we’ve got to keep working.’
