Damian Lillard has requested a trade away from the Portland Trail Blazers, and he's made it clear through his representation that he's only interested in being traded to the Miami Heat. This stance, and some of the recent reporting around it, has prompted the NBA to send a memo to all 30 teams, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The memo made clear that any further comments from LIllard, or his agent Aaron Goodwin, could result in discipline from the league. It also stated that similar behavior from other players in the future could also result in discipline.
Here's the memo in full, via Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report:
"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. Goodwin also made public comments indicating that Lillard would not fully perform the services called for under his player contract if traded to another team.
We interviewed Goodwin and Lillard and also spoke with several NBA teams to whom Goodwin spoke. Goodwin denied stating or indicating to any team that Lillard would refuse to play for them. Goodwin and Lillard affirmed to us that Lillard would fully perform the services called for under his player contract in any trade scenario. The relevant teams provided descriptions of their communications with Goodwin that were mostly, though not entirely, consistent with Goodwin's statements to us.
We have advised Goodwin and Lillard that any future comments, made privately to teams or publicly, suggesting Lillard will not fully perform the services called for under his player contract in the event of a trade will subject Lillard to discipline by the NBA. We also have advised the Players Association that any similar comments by players or their agents will be subject to discipline going forward."
Despite the fact that Lillard's trade request came nearly a month ago, no deal appears imminent. Ultimately, the Blazers are in complete control of the situation, as Lillard still has three years remaining on his current contract, plus a player option, and doesn't possess a no-trade clause. So, Portland could technically ship Lillard wherever they want -- it doesn't have to be Miami.
At the same time, Lillard is probably the best player in franchise history and has been immensely important to the team over the past decade-plus, so there's certainly some desire on the team's part to accommodate his wishes. Ultimately, though, the Heat might not be able to offer the best package for the star guard, and at that point Lillard might have to be willing to compromise.
It will be extremely interesting to see how the situation plays out. In the meantime, the league has made it clear that it doesn't want to hear any more chatter from Lillard or his agent about his desire to be moved to Miami.
