Trail Blazers shockingly BETRAYED Damian Lillard, lied about talking to teams to avoid trading him to Heat, claims NBA insider
Damian Lillard apparently double-crossed by Trail Blazers' General Manager, Joe Cronin
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Damian Lillard (Credits: Sports Illustrated)
The Damian Lillard trade saga has been going on throughout the offseason. Despite numerous NBA pundits claiming Damian Lillard would be traded a few weeks into the offseason, he has moved nowhere and is still stuck in Portland. Many thought Lillard’s insistence that he be traded to the Miami Heat had made it difficult for Portland Trail Blazersto find a trade for him. However, claims by an NBA insider have offered an entirely different perspective.
The Insider claims that the Blazers General Manager, Joe Cronin, has attempted to play a double game with Lillard. The Insider says that the Blazers had told Lillard that they’d be trading their #3 draft pick in this year’s draft to get veterans that would help them win a championship. However, when Draft Day came around and the Blazers took Scoot Henderson #3 overall, they didn’t even entertain trade calls in the 5-minute window where Henderson was most valuable.
The Insider added, “Apparently Dame’s agent called some of teams that Joe Cronin had been saying he was close to deals on, and they said they weren’t even talking to the Blazers at the moment. So those were all complete lies to Dame’s face…You told him you had stuff lined up”.
This shocking revelation was followed by him saying, “Dame & his agent…That’s when they knew they couldn’t trust [Cronin] anymore. They could absolutely not trust him. Dame has not spoken with [Cronin] since Jun.26, after they talked almost every day. Dame didn’t just switch up overnight or anything like that”
It appears that there is now a breakdown of trust between Lillard and the Blazers’ front office. In such conditions, will Lillard be traded before the season starts or will he remain with the Blazers? Until something is said officially by either Lillard or the Blazers’ front office, all fans can do is speculate and wait for the season to start.
What does Damian Lillard’s future look like?
Damian Lillard’s future has been uncertain ever since he requested a trade to the Miami Heat. He has been unable to work something out with the Blazers, and it appears the Blazers are equally unwilling to work with him.
Will Lillard remain with the Blazers? ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski evidently thinks so. The door on Lillard’s trade is fast closing. It’s likely by the time training camp rolls around in October, Lillard will still be stuck on the Trailblazers.
Provided Lillard remains on the Trail Blazers, how willingly will he play for them? It is not unlikely that Lillard pulls a James Harden and refuses to suit up in full fitness for games. It appears that this miff between Lillard and the management will go on for quite some time. All fans can do is pray that the issues are sorted out before the regular season rolls in.
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Ritvik Malhotra
(1085 Articles Published)