Damian Lillard wants out of Portland and a change of NBA scenery.
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According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Lillard has officially requested a trade from the Trail Blazers, and the team will work to accommodate him.
Sources: Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard requests trade – via @ESPN App https://t.co/tdFdlIbLia
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2023
The 33-year-old reportedly would like to be dealt to the Eastern Conference, with the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets as his preferred destinations.
Drafted sixth overall by the Blazers in 2012, Lillard has spent his entire 11-year career in Portland, earning seven All-Star selections and making six All-NBA teams while being named one of the league’s 75 greatest players.
The California native enjoyed one of the finest seasons of his career in 2022-23, averaging a career-high 32.2 points, along with 7.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds in 58 games.
Despite Lillard’s brilliant play, Portland brass has had difficulty building a winning roster around the superstar. The Blazers have missed the postseason in each of the past two years and have advanced past the second round just once during Lillard’s tenure.
With the California native presumably on the way out, more offensive responsibility will fall on the shoulders of third-overall pick Scoot Henderson, as well as Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, and Jerami Grant, who inked a five-year, $160 million extension on Friday.
