What do the Portland Trail Blazers want for their star Damian Lillard?

It was always going to be the case that Damian Lillard’s transfer saga eclipsed all others. After all, we’re talking about one of the top talents in the NBA and one who has been loyal to the team that drafted him. With his exit all but assured it’s now about whether he will get his wish or the franchise theirs.

Damian Lillard’s heart is set on the Miami Heat

Following an initial statement from Aaron Goodwin, the agent of Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, it was made clear to everyone that the prolific point guard wants to play for one team and one team only: The Miami Heat. With that in mind, it’s interesting to note that Goodwin has now given more insight as he attempts to achieve what his client wants.

“I had a positive conversation with [Blazers general manager] Joe [Cronin] and I made it clear that Damian would want [the Blazers] to sit down and have a meaningful negotiation with Miami,” Goodwin said. “And I think that’s something that Joe and the Blazers will do.”­ Of course, it’s important to remember that regardless of what Lillard wants, the Blazers will have the final say. Consider for a moment that Lillard still has several years remaining on his contract and more importantly, doesn’t have a no-trade clause. With that in mind, it could well be that the Blazers opt to send Lillard to the highest bidder, which isn’t guaranteed to be Miami. On the other hand, the optics of such a move would likely be poorly received by everybody who loves the NBA, given that Lillard has not only been loyal for more than a decade - without a title - but is arguably the best player in the franchise’s history.

So, what do the Blazers want?

Given everything we’ve just established i.e., Lillard is one of the best players in the league and quite likely the best the Blazers have ever seen, you can imagine that their asking price is not cheap. According to sources, the Blazers want four first-round picks and two quality rotation players. Now, you’re probably thinking that there are a host of teams who could actually offer that, but the catch is that Goodwin has been making it abundantly clear to potential suitors that Lillard only wants to play in Miami. So much so in fact that some reports have even suggested that Lillard would refuse to show up if he was traded to another team. Rhetoric aside, what we can assume is that it’s Miami or nothing for the 32-year-old.

“I would expect that before a team would do a deal with Damian Lillard, there would be some communication,” Goodwin said. “It’s not fair to a team to allow them to engage in a negotiation that could be futile in the end... I don’t think another team would do a deal like that knowing everything that’s going. But if they do, then they don’t know Dame.” Ultimately, it’s now obvious that Goodwin is trying to force both the Blazers and the Heat to sort out the situation before it gets any more complicated. Will it work? Who’s to say but what we do know is that one way or another a trade is imminent.