Blazers GM told Damian Lillard there was 'no coming back' from trade request
Damian Lillard told the Blazers he'd rather return to Portland if he wasn't traded to Miami. They turned him down.
According to a report from Chris Haynes, Lillard met with Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin on Sept. 5 at his home. When Lillard got the sense that Portland wasn't going to send him to Miami, "if a deal couldn't be worked out with the Heat, he would prefer to rescind his trade request and return to the Trail Blazers."
Cronin's response? There was "no going back" on his request. Three weeks later, Lillard was a Milwaukee Buck.
Lillard clearly feels betrayed, in part because the Trail Blazers ignored calls and texts from Lillard and his agent, Aaron Goodwin for weeks. That may be because Goodwin was allegedly calling non-Miami teams and warning them not to trade for Lillard.
In addition, Portland allegedly asked Lillard to sit out at the end of last season to improve their draft position, which would help them acquire a veteran player. After Lillard shut down his season with a supposed "calf injury," Portland went 1-9 in their final 10 games, jumping up to the No. 3 pick. They did not trade for a veteran, instead drafting Scoot Henderson, who plays the same position as Lillard.
That sparked Lillard's trade request, which ultimately led to Lillard's trade to Milwaukee. As for Lillard's relationship with the Portland organization, that may be irrevocably shattered. There may be no going back on that one either.
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