Disgruntled Trail Blazers star expected to dig in heels on trade destination

Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reported that there's been no progress in talks between Portland and Miami, in part because other teams expect Lillard to renew his request to be dealt to Miami, no matter who trades for him.

ESPN's Zach Lowe backed up this idea, as noted by Jackson and Chiang, recounting an NBA general manager's comment, "Are we going to turn into a weigh station for Damian Lillard until he gets to where he wants to go?"

The NBA sharply reprimanded Lillard and his agent, Aaron Goodwin, for allegedly warning teams against trading for the disgruntled All-Star, who has made it clear that Miami is his preferred destination. 

As Adrian Wojnarowski said Tuesday, though, "There has not been conversation really this summer, perhaps since July, with Portland and Miami."

Portland's been hoping to get something better than Miami is offering, but Lillard's obvious reluctance to play somewhere else is cooling his trade market — especially since he's owed $216 million for the next four years, including $63.2 million in his age-36 season.

Wojnarowski's rival Shams Charania summed up the problem with a non-Miami team trading for Lillard, calling the situation "incredibly unideal."

Some of this is simply posturing on both sides, with Portland and Lillard's camp both digging in to get what they want. The real pressure comes from the calendar.

Would Portland be willing to have an unhappy Lillard report to training camp and talk about his trade request at media day? Similarly, can Miami start its defense of the Eastern Conference title with an incomplete roster after a summer of waiting for Lillard?

Something has to happen soon. Without another team willing to roll the dice, that's likely to involve Lillard ending up in South Beach.