Former Nuggets Player Blasts Damian Lillard's Trade Request

It has become very clear that Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard wants a trade to the Miami Heat and nobody else. During a recent podcast episode, former Denver Nuggets guard Austin Rivers blasted Lillard's trade request, calling it bad for the NBA.

"If you're a free agent then you can choose where you're gonna go. That's the business. But when you're not, and you sign a deal... that's part of the business. If you get traded somewhere, you gotta go play... This started with James [Harden] and Ben [Simmons] doing this sh-t. It's bad for the league. It's a scary dynamic when stars start acting like this. And I'm not a big fan of it."

"If you were a free agent, then you could choose where you were gonna go… This started with James [Harden] and Ben [Simmons] and all these guys doing this sh*t. It's bad for the league."

Austin Rivers on Damian Lillard's trade demand

(via ringernba/TT)pic.twitter.com/IsBfRAlace
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 24, 2023

Rivers made it clear that his feelings aren't against Damian Lillard himself, who he has a lot of respect for, but rather this dynamic where star players are able to force their way to a single destination, even if they are under a longterm contract.

It certainly makes sense where Rivers is coming from, because small market teams are especially impacted by this. If players are threatening to sit out if dealt anywhere other than their preferred destination, it not only takes all other teams out of the running, but it also limits what that player's current team can receive in a trade. While organizations of course are not forced to honor these demands, it's also unlikely a team would deal for a player who so openly does not want to be there.

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