As we approach the start of the NBA season all eyes turn to the Portland Trail Blazers’ point guard, Damian Lillard. ESPN senior NBA insider, Adrian Wojnarowski, reports that the negotiations seem to have gained momentum in recent days, with the Blazers actively exploring the prospect of multi-team deals that could bring them assets, including draft picks and young players.
“My sense is that the Blazers have done a lot more talking with teams in the last say 10 to 14 days than they did probably in at least a month plus prior,” Wojnarowski said. “And a big part of that is the league is back to work now after Labor Day, and training camp is starting to approach. And that’s the next real deadline in this process.”
“But I think Portland, what they’ve been trying to do, is see how they could put together multiteam deals that would get them the assets that they would want: draft picks, young players.”
Wojnarowski has emphasized that the Blazers are not limiting their options and are communicating with multiple teams to secure a lucrative deal. The trade scenario surrounding Lillard has been quite dynamic, with Lillard himself expressing a preference for joining the Miami Heat as his team.
Despite this, the nature and specifics of the discussions between the Blazers and potential trade partners remain unclear, with the Heat’s exact role in this situation yet to be clarified.
“My sense is that the Blazers have done a lot more talking w/ teams in the last 10-14 days then they did in the month plus prior…I think Portland, what they’ve been trying to do is see how they can put together multi-team deals that would get them the assets they want”- @wojespn pic.twitter.com/HKUpS6ELGf
— Dru (@dru_star) September 15, 2023
Considering that teams are in a rush to finalize their rosters before the season starts next month, the urgency surrounding the Lillard trade discussions is evident. The Blazers seem to be leveraging this timeframe to look for the best possible return on their valuable asset.
The Blazers have not ended trade talks on guard Damian Lillard
In today’s age where information spreads rapidly distinguishing between news and misinformation has become increasingly challenging. This has been notably illustrated in the recent developments surrounding Damian Lillard’s potential trade.
A parody account on the social media platform X, which went by the name “Adrian Wojnarrowski”, recently posted a misleading tweet stating that the Blazers had ended all trade discussions regarding Lillard and were planning to retain him for the start of the season. This fake update further mentioned that although there had been periodic talks with the Miami Heat, the negotiations had not progressed significantly.
ESPN Sources: The Blazers have ended trade talks on guard Damian Lillard and plan to bring him back to training camp for start of the season. The blazers had periodic offseason conversations with the Heat — Lillard’s desired destination — but no traction on a deal materialized. pic.twitter.com/Y1C7oUFkqM
— Adrian Wojnarrowskí (@wojzspen) September 16, 2023
Welp💀
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) September 16, 2023
Could be his fate fr 😂😂
— LANI ❦ (@___lovelani) September 16, 2023
nah this got me 💀
— Fins17 (@Fins171) September 16, 2023
It is quite easy to be fooled online, given that numerous pages mimic the names and styles of well-known sources. This incident serves as a reminder to fans and enthusiasts to approach news, especially those coming from unofficial sources, with caution. The rapid spread of this fabricated news by the parody account further complicated the already heated discussion surrounding Lillard’s future.
As the trade talks evolve, fans are advised to stay tuned to credible sources and insiders like Adrian Wojnarowski for accurate and up-to-date information.