Damian Lillard believes the Portland Trail Blazers front office wasn’t truthful with him

What did Damian Lillard have to say about his experience with the Portland Trail Blazers front office?

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Damian Lillard trade saga saw a conclusion when the seven-time All-Star was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade that also involved the Phoenix Suns. However, it appears that “Dame Time” still harbors some ill will towards his former team, implying the front office said one thing but ended up doing another.

Preferred destination

Lillard made no qualms about making his preferred destination known: the Miami Heat. This he expressed when he made his trade request to the Blazers’ front office in July. With the Blazers leaning towards a youth movement, Dame saw it best to move on to another team in his quest to capture his first NBA title.

Lillard claims the front office told him they would help him end up at his preferred destination, the Miami Heat. While it’s possible that the Blazers could have gotten a better offer from Milwaukee than from Miami, Damian believes the front office misled him.

“I don’t think it was a secret that Miami is where I wanted to go when I asked for a trade,” Lillard said on SiriusXM NBA Radio.

“It was more of a thing when this conversation even started. It was like, ‘We’re not going to be able to build this team out. We’ll help you get to where you want to go.’ And that was where I wanted to go.”

“The beauty of my image is that I’ve never tried to have an image. What you see is what you get”

Damian Lillard looks back on this summer pic.twitter.com/7ifUNUs1cR

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) October 7, 2023

No communication

Despite what the Blazers’ front office said, Lillard shared that there came a point when Portland and Miami did not even speak, much less negotiate.

“It got to a point where it was like no communication to that team,” Lillard added.

In Milwaukee, Dame gets to team up with a fellow member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team, two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. While Lillard did not end up where he wanted to go, this ultimately may be where he gets his best chance of winning an NBA title.

Damian Lillard showing love to the fans ahead of the Bucks’ first preseason game 🙌

(via @Bucks) pic.twitter.com/yyCvmc1mCY

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 8, 2023