Inside The Heat

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith Says Damian Lillard Has Earned The Right To Request A Trade

ESPN analysts Stephen A. Smith thinks Portland Trail Blazers should request Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and 3-4 draft picks from Miami Heat for Damian Lillard
Shandel Richardson|
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith Says Damian Lillard Has Earned The Right To Request A Trade
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith Says Damian Lillard Has Earned The Right To Request A Trade

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Miami Heat

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard has taken some criticism for requesting a trade to the Miami Heat. 

They view him as being selfish because he wants to put himself in better position to win a championship, but ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith is among those who side with Lillard. Smith said Monday that Lillard has done nothing wrong for wanting an upgrade. 

"I respectfully want to submit to folks in the industry who have been critical of Damian Lillard, shut the hell up," Smith said. "... He gave Portland 11 years. You [the Trail Blazers] ain't going nowhere for the foreseeable future." 

Last year the Heat made the NBA Finals for the second time in four years. The Blazers are in the middle of a rebuild after missing the playoffs for the second straight season. 

Smith suggested the Trail Blazers request Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and three to four draft picks for Lillard. 

"People acting like Dame is doing something wrong by telling you literally where he wants to go," Smith said. "It’s not a crime. He’s earned that right."

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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