On Friday, the NBA informed teams via a memo that All-Star guard Damian Lillard would respect his contract in any prospective trade, despite the fαct that his representative had previously said Lillard only wanted to be dealt to the Miami Heat.
If Lillard or his agent, Aaron Goodwin, make any further comments implying that he won’t completely meet the obligations of his contract in the event of a trade, the league may sanction them, according to a document written to general managers and originally reported by ESPN.
Earlier this month, Lillard informed the Portland Trail Blazers of his desire to be dealt, and Goodwin has since made it obvious that he would like to be sent to the Miami Heat. Goodwin told The Associated Press on July 6 that “Dame’s position won’t change.” “This whole thing was about setting up Portland for victory or giving him another chance that he wants, which is Miami,” he said.
The league claimed to have spoken with both Goodwin and Lillard, as well as numerous teams with which Goodwin had contact. The teams gave accounts that were “mostly, though not entirely consistent with Goodwin’s statements to us,” and yet Goodwin still denied telling them that Lillard would refuse to play for them. Trade requests from players cannot be made public. The league also warned the Players Association that any future statements like Goodwin’s would result in disciplinary action, according to the document.
Joe Cronin, general manager of the Trail Blazers, said earlier this month that he hasn’t communicated with Lillard since July 1, when the franchise cornerstone requested a trade. Even if he does, the Portland front office claims it has no pressing concerns.
Cronin declared, “We’re going to be patient.” What’s best for the team is what we’re going to do. We’ll have to wait and watch how this plays out. If it takes a while, it takes a while.
“As a group, you constantly wish for more alternatives. I wouldn’t say it’s annoying to have few alternatives, but it does make it harder to maximize profit. As a result, we have a challenge that we must overcome.
And in his opinion, the seven-time All-Star Lillard might yet change his mind, despite all evidence to the contrary.
Since ‘this league is tricky and things change very quickly at times,’ Cronin hasn’t given up hope.
The Blazers feature a promising young core, including 24-year-old Anfernee Simons, 2022 No. 7 overall pick Shaedon Sharpe, and 2019 No. 3 overall pick and point guard Scoot Henderson.
Cronin said he understands why Lillard would look at the Blazers as they now are and think there is no realistic chance of winning a championship this year.
“I could see why Dame would look at it and say, ”Well, this isn’t a win-now opportunity, or at least as much of a win-now opportunity in some other places,” Cronin said.
From that perspective, I can appreciate and respect his stance, and I can see why he might prefer to leave.
But Cronin also thinks that Simons, Sharpe, and Henderson’s best days are ahead of them.
“Those guys are going to have an impact on winning in this league very soon,” Cronin said. Lillard just finished a season in which he scored 32.2% of the Trail Blazers’ points. Despite being selected to play for the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, in his eleven years in the league he has never come close to winning a championship.
He talked to Portland about improving the team’s squad so that he can win a title. However, Lillard was unimpressed by those attempts. There is now an active trade surveillance.
“It’s just difficult. Is there anyone who can step in and take the position of Damian Lillard? If you were looking for a better player than Dame, where would you find them? And Cronin put it this way. We are the only team with a complete understanding of this market.
We’ve been looking for someone to replace Dame for the past 18 months, or at least someone who is 80% as good as Dame. That’s the obstacle we’re up against, and it’s also why we can’t stop trying.
