Damian Lillard receives heat from another player for trade demand

Weeks ago, superstar Damian Lillard demanded a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, a team mired in mediocrity. But Dame's demand to play for the Miami Heat and no other franchise leaves the Trail Blazers with little room to maneuver. 

That doesn't sit well with at least one other longtime NBA player.

"Regardless of how good you are, the NBA is a privilege," guard Austin Rivers, said, via The Ringer. "If you were a free agent, then you could choose where you were gonna go, that's the business. But when you're not and you sign a deal, that's part of the business.

"If you get traded somewhere, you gotta go play... This [expletive] started with James [Harden] and Ben [Simmons] and these guys doing this [expletive]. It's bad for the league," Rivers continued.

The manner in which a star player can manipulate (or rather force) his way out of an organization after willingly signing a contract, as Lillard just did with Portland last July, is a terrible look for the league.

The NBA is much more of a players' league than any of the other two major American sports (NFL and MLB). However, when an excessive amount of power is concentrated without appropriate checks and balances, players will exploit their influence and leverage. 

Lillard probably will land with the Heat, perhaps with the involvement of a third team in a trade. If the deal doesn't get done, expect Lillard to sit out for as long as necessary until a deal is done.