Chris
In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, it was revealed that the Portland Trail Blazers didn’t want Damian Lillard after he made his trade request. However, his teammates still treated him like a teammate during workouts, but Joe Cronin thought otherwise.
Joe Cronin Didn’t Want Damian Lillard Back
Lillard’s trade to the Milwaukee Bucks shocked the whole basketball community; no one expected the superstar to move to the Bucks after all the rumors. However, Cronin’s efforts to deal the 33-year-old to the Miami Heat, his preferred destination, was less than the bare minimum.
The last time the Blazers’ general manager and Heat’s general manager Andy Elisburg communicated was in July. There were plans to meet, but none of it came to fruition.
Aaron Goodwin, Lillard’s agent, tried to tell management that the superstar would not be happy with any other team but the Heat. The point guard wanted to rescind his trade request if he wasn’t going to his preferred team.
However, Cronin didn’t give in to his requests. He claimed that the seven-time All-Star is never returning to the team.
This news was a shock to Lillard and Goodwin. He only wanted to be with the Heat or Blazers, but both didn’t seem like options anymore.
The Heat claimed that the Blazers weren’t given enough opportunities to negotiate on Lillard. They thought that Portland was too blind with emotions. Meanwhile, Lillard’s side thinks the Blazers took it too personally.
Furthermore, Lillard’s former team stopped communicating with the superstar’s agent in early September. It was to prevent the superstar from involving himself in potential deals.
The team ignored communication from Goodwin and Lillard for two weeks.
Due to the issues, Lillard’s agent and team looked for alternatives. The options were either the Bucks or the Brooklyn Nets. The league already knows where he ended up in.
Despite the problems, Lillard still came into workouts with his team. This was prior to him being traded, with no news of any teams taking him in. Everyone greeted him with open arms—except for Cronin.
Did Cronin betray Lillard by not letting him back on the team?
