Even though the NBA warned Damian Lillard to stop adding fuel to transfer speculation, the Portland star recently continued to show his desire to play in South Beach next season by reposting an Instagram story with the caption, “Miami is waiting for you and your music.”
The seven-time All-Star reignited the transfer rumors that place him in a Heat jersey even though the league had sent a memo to all 30 team regarding their initiative. “Recent media reports stated that Damian Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, called multiple NBA teams to warn them against trading for Lillard because Lillard’s only desired trade destination is Miami,” reporter Chris Haynes wrote on the matter last month.
Check out the story purposely reposted by the point guard this past Monday:
“Miami is waiting for you and your music 🔥🔥🔥”
Damian Lillard reposted this to his IG story
(via eti.drg/IG) pic.twitter.com/J9YlmkTu8p
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 21, 2023
In a recent appearance on “The Old Man and the Three” podcast, the veteran star told co-hosts JJ Redick and Tommy Alter that “winning the ring is like the ultimate level of success.” He made it clear that he was after an NBA title before retiring.
“And I always think about it like how you said, like, you wrestle with that, like, I always think about it like, man, but like, I really do want to win. And I don’t think I would go crazy if I didn’t, but like I really want to win a ring,” he said earlier this month.
On the other hand, reports are suggesting that Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin continues to ask for four first-round draft picks and at least one quality player in return.
“Meanwhile, as of early this week, Portland was still showing no interest in doing a deal with Heat, who visit Blazers in late Feb. in what is reportedly Portland’s only national TV game. To me, Lillard has much of leverage based on how messy he’s willing to make this (unknown),” reporter Barry Jackson posted on social media.
Expert Bill Simmons suggests that Portland should consider trading him to Minnesota and create a new Big 3
NBA analyst Bill Simmons believes that in order to make the trade out of Oregon, Lillard is going to have to widen his horizons and consider other opportunities. The expert suggested creating a new Big 3 with rising star Anthony Edwards and big man Rudy Gobert.
On this Monday’s interview of the “Ringer Podcast”, he explained why this move to the Wolves could be a wise decision.
“You wonder if Dame is watching [Minnesota] going ‘You know what? Me for Towns,’” he said. “Just switch us. We have Gobert. We have Edwards. It’s kinda nice. Me and Ant together. Maybe that’s a better situation for me than anywhere else.”
However, Simmons admitted that these are only speculations and that the reality is that the Portland administration isn’t showing too much interest in making this trade come through.
“I know what Portland’s gonna do. They’re just gonna go into the season with Dame, they’re gonna bank on the fact he wants to play basketball, and then they’re gonna know that a better trade will be available in December. They’re not gonna take that crappy Miami thing,” the expert stated.
