Could Damian Lillard face a fine from the NBA after his agent publicly spoke about his trade desire?
With the writing on the wall in Portland, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before the Blazers star is on his way out the door and off to Miami.
With free agency in full swing, and several stars jumping ship, the focus is now on one of the NBA’s most talented players and one who wants to leave his current team: Damian Lillard.
Damian Lillard’s agent confirms Miami’s desire
According to reports, Damian Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin has made an official statement to the effect that his client who currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers would like to play for the Miami Heat and nobody else. Indeed, Goodwin was essentially informing prospective suitors and not just stating his client’s wishes.
“I do what I should for my client,” Goodwin said. “Some teams I did call. Other teams have called me. It’s a respectful relationship with most teams. Truthfully, he wants to play in Miami. Period.” Of course, Goodwin’s comments aren’t really a surprise following reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday morning. That being said the Blazers have maintained that Lillard will be traded to the team that presents the best offer despite his personal preferences. With fans in Portland now said to be in support of Lillard’s exit, it will be interesting to see whether Lillard lands in Miami or somewhere else. At any rate, what we can take from the situation as it stands, is that it appears his agent is trying to ward off other teams from wading into the water.
Could the NBA impose a fine?
If there is one surprising aspect of Goodwin’s statement, it’s not the content but rather the context. That’s to say that Goodwin made his comments in a public forum. Why is that important to note? If you didn’t know the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement contains a section that specifically addresses public trade requests:
Any player (or, for clarity, any player representative or person acting with authority on behalf of a player) who publicly expresses a desire to be traded to another Team shall be subject to a fine and/or a suspension. The maximum fine that may be imposed by the NBA on a player pursuant to the foregoing shall be $150,000.
For perspective, back in January of 2019, Anthony Davis was fined $50,000 because his agent, Rich Paul, publicly requested a trade at the time. There has been no indication as to whether the NBA is investigating Goodwin’s comments but if we’re honest, it looks like a thinly veiled trade request i.e., ‘come get me’ to us. Watch this space.