Bombshell report claims superstar’s messy exit could have broken NBA rules
When the Trail Blazers traded All-Star guard Damian Lillard Wednesday to the Milwaukee Bucks, it closed the door on the once-promising relationship in Portland that ended with a messy divorce.
Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes constructed the timeline for a way the eight-player, three-team deal got here to fruition.
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After receiving his ticket out of city, Lillard wasn’t precisely leaping for pleasure, telling Haynes, “How this summer played out behind the scenes definitely left a sour taste in my mouth.”
Lillard requested a commerce on July 1 after the workforce chosen level guard Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 choose total within the 2023 NBA Draft.
Lillard, 33, publicly declared his want to be traded to the Heat.
But the final time Trail Blazers normal supervisor Joe Cronin and Heat senior vp of basketball operations and normal supervisor Andy Elisburg talked was on the Summer League in July.
All alongside, Cronin stated he would take the very best deal on the desk, even when it didn’t come from Miami.
However Aaron Goodwin, Lillard’s agent, stated the seven-time All-Star can be sad if South Beach wasn’t his closing vacation spot.
That led to a warning from the NBA on July 29 threatening self-discipline if Lillard or his agent continued interfering with Portland’s commerce talks.
In late August, with no deal forthcoming, Goodwin urged a gathering with Cronin to “mend the relationship” in case Portland doesn’t commerce Lillard.
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On Sept. 5, Haynes reported Cronin met with Lillard in his Portland dwelling for about an hour.
During that assembly, Lillard shared his disappointment with how his state of affairs was unfolding and “how it would be disheartening to be sent somewhere against his wishes.”
Lillard additionally referenced how he had been a great soldier for the organisation throughout his NBA profession.
According to Haynes, “Portland had asked Lillard to sit out the final 10 games of the 2022-23 regular season to help the franchise improve its lottery odds.
“He was told the higher the draft pick, the better chance they had at using the pick to facilitate a trade for a proven veteran player. He reluctantly acquiesced to being shut down, citing a ‘calf injury.’”
If that’s true, LarryBrownSports.com reviews Portland “reportedly committed a major NBA rules violation. … A report like that is enough for the league to open an investigation into the Blazers for allegedly fabricating a calf injury for Lillard.”
As for the stalemate, Cronin made it clear he was on the lookout for the very best deal potential.
At that time, Lillard stated if he can’t go to the Heat, he needed to rescind his commerce request, to which Cronin replied “there was no coming back,” per Haynes.
Starting on Sept. 11, Lillard started figuring out on the Trail Blazers’ apply facility and stated Cronin by no means made an effort to speak.
As the state of affairs devolved, Goodwin met with Lillard on Sept. 17 and got here up with a “contingency plan,” Haynes wrote.
Among the “viable options” was Milwaukee.
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers stopped speaking with Lillard and Goodwin, as calls and texts went unanswered for 3 weeks, forcing the league to step in on Sept. 23 for a Zoom designed to get the 2 sides speaking.
According to Haynes, “The session got volatile at certain junctures, with both sides expressing their trust issues with the other.”
However Cronin and Goodwin began speaking once more.
Four days later, Lillard was on his method to Milwaukee.
This story initially appeared on the New York Post and has been reposted with permission
