BREAKING: Damian Lillard Reportedly Requests A Trade From Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard is one of the best point guards in the NBA, but the Portland Trail Blazers have been unable to make the Playoffs for two straight years.
Therefore, rumors have swirled around his future in Portland for quite some time.
On Saturday morning, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reports that the seven-time NBA All-Star has requested a trade from the organization.
Charania: "Breaking: Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has requested a trade out of Portland, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets are among leading suitors for one of the NBA’s 75 Greatest Players ever.
Lillard is coming off another sensational year where he averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per contest while shooting 46.3% from the field and 37.1% from the three-point range.
The Trail Blazers finished as the 13th seed in the Western Conference and had a 33-49 record.
During his 11-year tenure with the franchise, the Trail Blazers have made the NBA Playoffs eight times, so they are typically a solid team.
However, they have only been to the Western Conference Finals once in that span and were swept by Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors in 2019.
Lillard was initially the sixth pick in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Weber State and is arguably the greatest player to ever play for Portland.
His career averages are 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.2 steals per contest while shooting 43.9% from the field and 37.2% from the three-point range.