Sixers Trade Target Damian Lillard Hasn't Requested Blazers to Move Him

When Damian Lillard was training for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in Las Vegas last month, it seemed there was a chance he could request the Portland Trail Blazers

When Damian Lillard was training for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in Las Vegas last month, it seemed there was a chance he could request the Portland Trail Blazers to deal him away. In that case, the Philadelphia 76ers would likely be one of the first teams to reach out and discuss a potential deal.

But Lillard pushed back on the rumors. As he denied all reports mentioning that he planned to request a trade in the coming days, Lillard stayed true to his word and kept his focus on the task at hand, which was the Olympics.

Now that Lillard's quest for a gold medal is complete and he's back in the States, everybody is impatiently waiting to see whether he'll request a trade or not. 

As the veteran point guard made it clear Portland's front office didn't have a home run of an offseason following the draft and free agency, it seemed it was only a matter of time before Lillard asks for a way out.

According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, that day has yet to come. As he noted Sixers guard Ben Simmons, Wizards guard Bradley Beal, and Lillard as the three superstars every team is monitoring right now as potential trade candidates; only one of them is actually available at the moment -- and that player is Ben Simmons.

"Bradley Beal, Ben Simmons, and Damian Lillard all remain with their teams. The Wizards are an undeniable winner of the offseason, having turned John Wall into almost an entirely new team -- and coming out net-neutral in first-round picks.

"Simmons is the only one among them who is available, but his availability is very much tied to the other two -- and probably more to Lillard than Beal, though that can swing in time."

A handful of teams have shown interest in Simmons, but none of them possess Philly's primary target, which happens to be Lillard. As long as Lillard remains off the market, Simmons remains on the Sixers' roster.

It's no guarantee that Lillard starts the 2021-2022 season as a member of the Blazers. But for the time being, it seems all of the trade smoke coming out of Portland is nothing more than that as Lillard keeps himself off the trade block. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.