Damian Lillard publicly confirmed in an interview that he requested a trade to join the Miami Heat.
“I’m not going to speak for the Blazers,” Lillard said in an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “It’s a lot of love and respect, but I won’t speak on the Blazers…. I can say that there was [a trade request to the Heat], and I would just prefer not to speak on the Trail Blazers.”
If he ends up in Miami, Lillard will provide additional firepower to a team that just reached the NBA finals. The 33-year-old guard averaged 32.2 points and 7.3 assists per game last season. He spent his entire career with the Portland Trail Blazers.
“If you look at the history of me speaking about loyalty, I’ve always said that I’m loyal to who I am and I’m going to do what I feel like is the right thing to do,” Lillard added. “For me, I know what I want for myself, and I’m going to be loyal to that. When I feel like this is the vision I have for myself, this is what I see being fit for me at this moment, and I’m going to ride that until the wheels fall off, but anything that I’m a part of, it all has to be connected.”
With the Blazers, Lillard earned seven All-NBA selections and a spot on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. He is also a seven-time All-Star. (MJD)
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) August 24, 2023
