Report: Damian Lillard Expected to Request Trade in Upcoming Days

Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard is expect to request a trade and the Toronto Raptors could have enough future assets to swing a deal

Aaron Rose | Jul 16, 2021

Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Finals might not be over quite yet, but the offseason buzz is already in full swing.

After numerous strange Instagram posts, tweets, and leaks from Damian Lillard and sources close to him, a trade request is reportedly coming from the 31-year-old superstar, a source told Henry Abbot of TrueHoops.

"If this is a surprise, you haven’t been paying attention," Abbot wrote. "As an organization, the Blazers have been melting since their playoff exit. Coach Terry Stotts was cut loose. Sources say billionaire Jody Allen plans to sell the team. The Blazers are prominent in trade rumors."

Lillard has been the bedrock of everything the Blazers have tried to do for the better part of the last decade. In 2019, he led Portland to the Western Conference finals, but after two more first-round exits it appears his time in the Northwest is coming to an end.

For the Toronto Raptors, a deal is at the very least plausible but would depend on what exactly the Trail Blazers are hoping to get back in a deal for Lillard. Toronto could package the No. 4 pick, future first-round picks, OG Anunoby, and Malachi Flynn in some form to lure Portland into a deal. Alternatively, a deal involving Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet would help the Trail Blazers continue to win in the present, although a win-now deal with Toronto seems far less likely.

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