Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

New NBA rest rules could force Damian Lillard onto court

By Sean Keane | Last updated 9/15/23

NBA teams often send disgruntled players home as they try to work on trades. That won't be an option for the Portland Trail Blazers.

I checked with the NBA on the new rule against "long-term shutdowns of star players" and was told it doesn't only apply for end-of-season tanking. Theoretically, it could prohibit, say, a player with an outstanding trade request from being asked/agreeing to stay home.
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) September 13, 2023

The NBA announced new rules regulating teams resting their star players, which is defined as anyone who made the All-Star team or All-NBA team in the last three seasons, a total of 50 players. Fines can get as high as $1 million.

Teams must make sure stars are available for in-season tournament games and nationally televised games, balance one-game absences for star players between home and road games, and "refrain from any long-term shutdown — or near shutdown — when a star player stops participating in games or plays in a materially reduced role in circumstances affecting the integrity of the game."

The latter is what Portland did at the end of last season with Lillard, sitting him for the final 10 games, a stretch where the Blazers went 1-9. The Washington Wizards also sat Bradley Beal for the last 10 games, a precursor to his offseason trade to the Phoenix Suns. There's been no progress on a Lillard deal two months after his request to be traded to the Miami Heat.

If the Blazers don't find a deal for their superstar, expect to see Lillard in a Portland uniform next year. The team can't afford to bench him.

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