Damian Lillard had every right to want a trade away from the Portland Trail Blazers. However, he and his camp didn’t deal with that in the best way when they leaked his desire to play for the Miami Heat.
From that point on, GM Joe Cronin pretty much had no choice but to take a stance and refuse to send him to his preferred destination. Otherwise, he would’ve set a dangerous precedent.
That’s why he turned down a very generous offer from Pat Riley and the Heat, sending him to the Milwaukee Bucks instead, even if they couldn’t match the Heat’s assets.
Blazers Didn’t Want Lillard In Miami
“The Miami Heat were willing to offer Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic, 3 first-round picks, first-round pick swaps, and multiple second-round picks for Damian Lillard,” reported Shams Charania.
At the end of the day, Lillard can still feel like the team did him a favor. Truth be told, he’s got a better chance to win a championship than in Miami, which is the big irony here.
But having players who have multiple years on their contracts handpicking their next destination could be harmful to the league, so props to Cronin for holding his ground.
