The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to trade Damian Lillard before media day, according to NBA insider Marc J. Spears of ESPN. Lillard has requested a trade from the Blazers and wants to get traded to the Miami Heat.
“The two NBA executives said that they expect Lillard to be traded before media day, which is Oct. 2 for most teams, including the Blazers, Heat and Raptors,” Spears wrote in his latest NBA trade column. “Practices begin the next day.”
The Toronto Raptors, Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls have shown interest in trading for Lillard. If Lillard isn’t traded by the Blazers before media day or training camp, the seven-time All-Star is not expected to hold out.
The Raptors enter this week as the front-runners to trade for Lillard. Toronto and Portland have had recent conversations about a Lillard trade, but no deal is close to being imminent.
One of the top players in NBA history, Lillard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists last season in 58 games. He requested a trade from the Blazers to the Heat on July 1. In the nearly three months since that request became public, no substantial trade conversations have taken place between the Heat and Blazers.
Lillard still wants the Blazers to trade him to the Heat despite the NBA’s initiative to warn Lillard and his agent that any further comments made “suggesting Lillard will not fully perform the services called for under his player contract in the event of a trade” will be subject to discipline, according to NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Lillard signed a two-year, $121.8 million extension with Portland in July 2022. He will make $46.6 million next season.
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