By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Damian Lillard’s message that he wants to play for the Miami Heat and only the Miami Heat becomes clearer and clearer the longer the player’s trade seems to stay in limbo.
Lillard’s agent Aaron Goodwin explained his client’s willingness to be moved to the Heat and only the Heat. “I do what I should for my client,” he said to the Miami Herald. “Some teams I did call. Other teams have called me. It’s a respectful relationship with most teams. Truthfully, he wants to play in Miami. Period.”
Meanwhile, ESPN reported that Goodwin has been pushing away potential trade targets and “telling organizations outside of Miami that trading for Lillard is trading for an unhappy player,” basically shutting down the possibility that Lillard could be traded in a place that is not Miami.
While Lillard sees only the Heat in his future and his representatives want every other NBA club to be aware of that, the Blazers seem naturally invested in finding the best possible deal for the franchise. They are taking their time to explore all possible options and get the maximum they can get in exchange for a player of Lillard’s capacity. And that doesn’t necessarily mean an agreement with Miami.
Lillard requested a trade out of the Blazers this summer after spending the entirety of his 11-year career with the club. He’s hoping to join the Heat and thus get a bigger opportunity to compete for the championship.
A seven-time All-Star, Lillard has career averages of 25.2 points, 6.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 769 regular season games. In 61 playoff matches, he’s posted 25.7 points, 6.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds.