The Portland Trail Blazers’ star Damian Lillard grabbed the headlines when he asked for a move to the Miami Heat on day 1 of the NBA trade window. Since then, all the media outlets have talked about him at least once every single day.
Not only Damian asked for the trade, but he also clarified that he wants to play for them only, and if he is traded to any other team, there would be consequences. This made a lot of teams pull themselves back from the desire to land Damian, but some teams still wanted to get him. Also, since the Heat are not able to match the Blazers’ return valuation for Lillard, the Blazers are hearing other teams’ offers as well. The Utah Jazz is one of those teams. Here is all the information you need about the trade between the Utah Jazz and the Portland Trail Blazers involving Damian Lillard.
What would the Blazers want in return for Lillard?
The Blazers expect two or more players along with four draft picks in exchange for their veteran guard. Although it seems like a very high demand, Damian is totally worth the price. The Heat, who are Damian’s preferred and only choice, do not have enough resources to make it happen. They are looking for a third team to get the deal done.
REPORT: Currently, there is no significant progress towards a potential trade involving Damian Lillard, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/IzVLFTrcZ7
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) August 3, 2023
Why would the Jazz like to sign Damian Lillard?
The Jazz landed Markkanen last year, and that turned out pretty well for them, and they think that if they manage to get Damian Lillard play alongside him, the duo would be unstoppable. Walker’s defending added to all that might make their dream come true. They do have the assets, but are they willing to take the risk?
#Sources — Dark horse team in the East not named Miami have begun internal discussions on the possibility of trading for Damian Lillard. Similar to Cleveland swooping in over New York last year to acquire Donovan Mitchell. More details to follow. #NBA
— NBATradeReport (@NBATradeReport) August 3, 2023
What did Damian Lillard and his agent say about the trades?
Damian made sure that the Blazers know that he wants to play for the Heat but since he does not have any trade clause which allows him to choose his destination, the Blazers are not bound to listen. Damian’s agent has said that the player might not show up for the training camp if he is traded somewhere else.
Will the Jazz take the risk of signing an unhappy Damian? If yes, how would it go? We’ll keep you updated.
