Report: Lillard requests trade

[CelticsWhat35]

apparently Lillard is telling teams if they trade for him he won't report to camp and will sit out.

Not sure how anyone other than Heat fans can be on dames side here.

There’s no way he’d leave all that money on the table.  This is just posturing.  If there is a team that thinks they can put a package together that can put them over the top in terms of title contention, it’s absolutely worth the risk.  He’ll report and he’ll play and he’ll say all of the reports were overblown and that he never demanded Miami (even though we all know he did)

[cman88]

apparently Lillard is telling teams if they trade for him he won't report to camp and will sit out.

Not sure how anyone other than Heat fans can be on dames side here.

There’s no way he’d leave all that money on the table.  This is just posturing.  If there is a team that thinks they can put a package together that can put them over the top in terms of title contention, it’s absolutely worth the risk.  He’ll report and he’ll play and he’ll say all of the reports were overblown and that he never demanded Miami (even though we all know he did)

I agree he won't. It's just funny or sad to watch Mr "I'll never join a superteam" "I don't run from the grind"

Acting more toxic than the most toxic guys to try and get what he wants.

Donovan Mitchell wanted NYC Danny traded him to Cleveland

If Dame said I want a trade here's a list of teams I would prefer and we'll work together to get the best deal I think fans wouldn't care.

It's this "trade me to Miami now!" And trying to tank his value so Miami gives them a trash offer that is making him look real bad. He's deliberately killing any leverage Portland has to prepare for their future.

Portland needs to dig in and say listen. We aren't trading you to Miami for peanuts. So if you want to go there make sure Miami makes us an offer that is best for both parties. Overpaid guys like herro/Robinson/Lowry are of no use to Portland.

[Who]

apparently Lillard is telling teams if they trade for him he won't report to camp and will sit out.

Not sure how anyone other than Heat fans can be on dames side here.

There’s no way he’d leave all that money on the table.  This is just posturing.  If there is a team that thinks they can put a package together that can put them over the top in terms of title contention, it’s absolutely worth the risk.  He’ll report and he’ll play and he’ll say all of the reports were overblown and that he never demanded Miami (even though we all know he did)

Exactly.

A list is just a series of preferences. Team do not have to act on them. They are free to do as they please.

This next area is just posturing. A negotiation tactic to get to the team(s) he would rather be on. It may be real. It may be false. It is usually false. Most guys are not willing to sit out and lose $45mil.

Lillard is looking after his own interests. Portland are looking after their own interests. Teams that are looking to acquire Lillard are looking after their own interests.

[cman88]

apparently Lillard is telling teams if they trade for him he won't report to camp and will sit out.

Not sure how anyone other than Heat fans can be on dames side here.

There’s no way he’d leave all that money on the table.  This is just posturing.  If there is a team that thinks they can put a package together that can put them over the top in terms of title contention, it’s absolutely worth the risk.  He’ll report and he’ll play and he’ll say all of the reports were overblown and that he never demanded Miami (even though we all know he did)

Exactly.

A list is just a series of preferences. Team do not have to act on them. They are free to do as they please.

This next area is just posturing. A negotiation tactic to get to the team(s) he would rather be on. It may be real. It may be false. It is usually false. Most guys are not willing to sit out and lose $45mil.

Lillard is looking after his own interests. Portland are looking after their own interests. Teams that are looking to acquire Lillard are looking after their own interests.

Lillard is just acting in bad faith. Idk if Durant even acted this way in the media. Seems his trade happened in silence.

[Who]

I find it strange how against the Miami offer people are when no other team is offering anything that different / better than what Miami are.

Miami have made a good offer. It is not a great offer. But it is a good offer that allows Portland to rebuild properly. To move on from Dame. To pick up some future assets. To get a good player in Herro and maybe C Martin as well.

[Who]

apparently Lillard is telling teams if they trade for him he won't report to camp and will sit out.

Not sure how anyone other than Heat fans can be on dames side here.

There’s no way he’d leave all that money on the table.  This is just posturing.  If there is a team that thinks they can put a package together that can put them over the top in terms of title contention, it’s absolutely worth the risk.  He’ll report and he’ll play and he’ll say all of the reports were overblown and that he never demanded Miami (even though we all know he did)

Exactly.

A list is just a series of preferences. Team do not have to act on them. They are free to do as they please.

This next area is just posturing. A negotiation tactic to get to the team(s) he would rather be on. It may be real. It may be false. It is usually false. Most guys are not willing to sit out and lose $45mil.

Lillard is looking after his own interests. Portland are looking after their own interests. Teams that are looking to acquire Lillard are looking after their own interests.

Lillard is just acting in bad faith. Idk if Durant even acted this way in the media. Seems his trade happened in silence.

Good faith and bad faith are interesting concepts.

I don't see them as applicable here. This is a situation where the relationship has broken down between player and team.

Now the player can behave with good faith and try to do right by his former team but he doesn't need to. There is no obligation to do so. In fact, it is often contrary to the player's future to do so. The player is often better off not doing so in order to (1) get to a team or one of the teams he most wants to go to, and, (2) get there while ensuring as much of his new team remains in tact so he has the best chance of winning on his new team.

The player's interests are not the same as the teams interests. Nor are the same as all the of teams interested in acquiring him. The player has his own specific interests and is acting on them.

[jpotter33]

I find it strange how against the Miami offer people are when no other team is offering anything that different / better than what Miami are.

Miami have made a good offer. It is not a great offer. But it is a good offer that allows Portland to rebuild properly. To move on from Dame. To pick up some future assets. To get a good player in Herro and maybe C Martin as well.

That’s only because Dame has screwed them over and is essentially extorting them to trade to a team that simply doesn’t have the assets to get him, but May now because he’s depressing the market. That’s why people are mad. He’s being a selfish hypocrite and trying to have his cake and eat it, too.

Ole Softy Silver needs to step in. This has gone far beyond what any other star has done, and it’s setting an awful precedent that is terrible for the league.

At least Dame’s legacy and reputation are starting to be affected, but I’m not sure how other owners aren’t revolting at this right now.

[Who]

If Lillard's agent is calling teams to warn against trading for him, as a way to force his way to Miami, can the commissioner step in and fine Lillard and his agent? Better yet, could the commissioner veto a trade of Lillard to Miami because of what is essentially is becoming collusion?

It is clearly collusion or in violation of the CBA. If the commish doesn't step in, it sets a bad precedent for the league.

I agree. I’m not generally pro owner but this is nonsense. You signed the super max Dame can’t force your franchise into a horrible deal after that

Isn’t this the main method Lakers get who ever they want ..players forcing their way to LA and open door with no scruples

This narrative for the lakers getting all these players is pretty weird to me. In the last 15 years pretty much every big name free agent has chosen to sign with other teams outside of Lebron and they had tons of guys they wanted. The trades for stars were not like amazing deals for them either. They gave up a ton to get Davis (they are often criticized for giving up way too much). The Westbrook trade was obviously a bad trade for them. If the heat were giving up lonzo ball (not injured) Brandon Ingram, Josh hart a number 4 overall pick and multiple other first rounders and swaps people would be a lot less upset.

Yeah, that bugs me too.

LAL couldn't get any of the FAs they wanted in the post Shaq years. They wanted Amare. They wanted Yao Ming. I forget who else. They wanted guys in trades. They wanted KG. They came up empty time and time again.

When Kobe's career was ending, they went after max free agents year after year. Again, coming up empty every time. Aldridge was one of them. They couldn't even get L Aldridge.

LeBron is the only major FA to go there in 25 years. And he only went there because they had enough trade assets to get a 2nd superstar alongside him from years of tanking.

[footey]

Basically looks like Heat lone negotiator.  Portland's only real leverage is to say no, until Heat come up with a better package. Not dissimilar to what Pels did when the negotiated with Lakers. They ended up with a decent haul.  Heat probably holding back from taking Nurkic salary and relinquishing Caleb Martin.  If Trailblazers patient they can get a decent haul out of this.

[tonydelk]

I find it strange how against the Miami offer people are when no other team is offering anything that different / better than what Miami are.

Miami have made a good offer. It is not a great offer. But it is a good offer that allows Portland to rebuild properly. To move on from Dame. To pick up some future assets. To get a good player in Herro and maybe C Martin as well.

That’s only because Dame has screwed them over and is essentially extorting them to trade to a team that simply doesn’t have the assets to get him, but May now because he’s depressing the market. That’s why people are mad. He’s being a selfish hypocrite and trying to have his cake and eat it, too.

Ole Softy Silver needs to step in. This has gone far beyond what any other star has done, and it’s setting an awful precedent that is terrible for the league.

At least Dame’s legacy and reputation are starting to be affected, but I’m not sure how other owners aren’t revolting at this right now.

I definitely think they should put a end to this posturing by the players and where they want to be traded to.  The NBA does not have a franchise tag to keep a player from bolting so why should a team relent and trade a player to where he wants to go after he signed a contract to stay with that team.  This should be the same as colluding and a player should be fined and that team should be on a blocked list.

Didn't a trade of Chris Paul or someone get vetoed by David Stern because that player was pushing to only get moved to 1 team?  Why is this now allowed.  I'd veto any deal to Miami if I was the commish and put them on a block list since that player is trying to stop Portland for conducting business.  The NBA is a Business first and foremost.

[cman88]

I find it strange how against the Miami offer people are when no other team is offering anything that different / better than what Miami are.

Miami have made a good offer. It is not a great offer. But it is a good offer that allows Portland to rebuild properly. To move on from Dame. To pick up some future assets. To get a good player in Herro and maybe C Martin as well.

We don't really know what they offered. Just that martin is off the table and it's something like Herro/Lowry and a couple picks. Trash return for the best player in blazers history.

They have no need for herro

[Who]

It would be cool to see someone step up and make a strong offer for Lillard.

So far the offers are just variations on what Miami is offering rather something far more than what Miami are offer. A decent player or two, future picks, okay young talent.

Brooklyn comes to mind. Hugely risky move with Simmons being the salary to offer, but all those picks would be intriguing. If Simmons somehow fixed his brain it would be an interesting offer.

Brooklyn would be really fun for Lillard. I think that new-look team could be a title contender.

G: Lillard, S Dinwiddie, D Smith Jr
G: Mikal Bridges, L Walker IV
F: Cam Johnson, R O'Neale
F: D Finney Smith
C: Nic Claxton, (D Sharpe?)

A trade package of B Simmons and a host of future firsts. They have a load of them. They can out-do anyone else in the race for Lillard. All while still maintaining their core team.

I mean, that is probably a 45 win team without Lillard. Add Lillard to that and they should be a 55-60 win team. It is a squad without a real go-to scorer. Perfect situation for him to step into.

Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson become 2nd and 3rd options. Strong bench piece in Dinwiddie. Good glue guys in DFS, O'Neale, Claxton. Speed, athleticism, defense, rebounding. Well rounded basketball team. Shooting range. Team offense. Ideal for Lillard.

I am not sure Brooklyn are interested in that though. They seem more interested in playing the long game. Rebuilding / retooling the old fashioned way and making a long term project. They feel off. Like they have been burned too badly by Kyrie, Durant, Harden to the point where they are reluctant to go all-in on a superstar again. Especially one who may be unhappy to go there. Perhaps an easy team to scare off for Dame. Even if they were willing to go all-in for him which I am not sure they are.

If Lillard was 28 instead of 33, I'd say they go for it. But at 33 and at his paycheck, with as much negativity that Brooklyn has gone through with failed superstar moves in recent years, I'm not sure they are all that interested in Lillard.

It would be cool if they were though. I like the look of that team. I'd watch that team. Fun unit.

[Who]

Basically looks like Heat lone negotiator.  Portland's only real leverage is to say no, until Heat come up with a better package. Not dissimilar to what Pels did when the negotiated with Lakers. They ended up with a decent haul.  Heat probably holding back from taking Nurkic salary and relinquishing Caleb Martin.  If Trailblazers patient they can get a decent haul out of this.

There is only so far "no" can get them in these negotiations. Miami only have to offer what they have to offer.

So far, reports from Ira Winderburn (?) [Heat beat writer] say that they are willing to give POR anything they want to get the deal done. Herro, Jovic, Jaquez, future firsts, swaps, even C Martin. There is nothing else to offer.

I think the negotiations are where they are with Miami. The goal is not improving Miami's offer so much as it is trying to find anyone else who will better it. Another team. And so far it doesn't look like they are having much luck with that.

Back to that "good faith" "bad faith" discussion. Miami have been negotiating in good faith. They haven't tried to screw POR over by leveraging Lillard's disinterest in going elsewhere. They have made everything available that they can make available. Now, that still might not be enough for POR. Fair enough. But MIA have acted in good faith and given POR the maximum they can give.

[johnnygreen]

Portland should hold out, that the only way Lillard gets traded to Miami, is if Bam Adebayo is included in the trade. Now that would be funny, as Bam is apparently the reason why Lillard wants to go there.

[Who]

Portland should hold out, that the only way Lillard gets traded to Miami, is if Bam Adebayo is included in the trade. Now that would be funny, as Bam is apparently the reason why Lillard wants to go there.

Miami is not trading a 26yo All-Star big man for a 33yr small guard. Lillard doesn't have that type of trade value. He is too old! He is too highly paid.

Miami trading Bam for Lillard is similar to Washington trading C Webber for M Richmond. One of the worst trades in NBA history.

A Lillard & J Butler duo is actually worse for Miami than a Jimmy & Bam duo. There is no point in trading your young All-Star big man when you don't have enough talent left over on your team to compete on a win-now team around your 33yo Lillard. They have no big men. They can't compete in the post-season. Their best bigs are K Love and T Bryant. That team is going nowhere. Absolutely nowhere.

There is no trade to be made for Bam. It is not worthwhile for Miami. That is why he is off the table. Lillard isn't good enough, isn't young enough, to justify such a deal.