NBA free agency 2023: Damian Lillard requests trade

Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard has requested a trade out of Portland, league sources told The Athletic on Saturday. Here’s what you need to know:

Miami Heat, per multiple league sources.

The seven-time All-Star is coming off the most productive offensive season of his career. In 2022-23, he finished with career-highs in points per game (32.2), field goal percentage (46.3), free throws attempted per game (9.6), 3-pointers made (4.2) and attempted (11.3) per game.

Portland also has a ready-made replacement for Lillard with 2023 No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson.

Lillard’s trade request comes weeks after the Trail Blazers selected point guard Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Lillard told the media he didn’t want to play with teenagers during end-of-season exit interviews. While Lillard wanted Portland to trade its draft pick for a veteran star, Portland reportedly rebuffed all offers.

Lillard has four years, $216 million remaining on his contract. He turns 33 years old before next season. He’s coming off one of the most prolific seasons of his career, averaging 32.2 points and 7.3 assists per game while shooting 37.1 percent from deep on a sky-high volume of attempts (more than 11 per game). He remains one of the league’s best guards, and one of its preeminent pull-up shooters.

Front offices talking to Portland on Saturday were left with the impression that Cronin is pursuing a star-level return package for Lillard, and that the GM plans to look well beyond the Heat to find one, sources told Wojnarowski.

Should Lillard leave, it will be after a run in which he made seven All-Star and All-NBA teams and led Portland to a Western Conference finals appearance in 2018-19. He ranks first in Blazers history in both points and 3-pointers and second in assists.

Houston Rockets when he exploded for 71 points.

His points per game would be the most by a player to change teams the following season, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

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Sarah H

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