Miami Heat Appear Damian Lillard's Preferred Destination
In the past 20 years, the Miami Heat landed Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Jimmy Butler during free agency.
Now, it appears they are on track to acquiring another superstar during the offseason. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Miami is the preferred destination for Lillard.
“He wants to compete with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, to grow inside that famed 'Heat culture' system under Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra while becoming the final piece to their championship puzzle," Amick wrote.
Lillard, a seven-time All-Star, is coming off his best season. He averaged a career-high 32.2 points and 7.3 assists last season for the struggling Blazers. On Saturday, he requested a trade so the Blazers are focused on moving forward.
“We have been clear that we want Dame here but he notified us today he wants out and he’d prefer to play someplace else,” Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said in a statement. “What has not changed for us is that we’re committed to winning, and we are going to do what’s best for the team in pursuit of that goal.”
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