[Saba Sports News] In the midst of the excitement surrounding Damian Lillard’s blockbuster trade to the Milwaukee Bucks, a startling revelation has emerged: the Portland Trail Blazers are reportedly guilty of a significant NBA rules violation.
Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report published an extensive column on Thursday shedding light on the circumstances surrounding the Lillard trade. Among the revelations, Haynes discloses that the Trail Blazers requested Lillard’s assistance in their tanking strategy by proposing he feign an injury to allow his late-season absence. This request raises concerns as intentionally losing or not giving one’s best effort to win games is against league rules.
According to Haynes, Portland asked Lillard to sit out the final ten games of the 2022-23 regular season to enhance the franchise’s lottery odds. Lillard was informed that securing a higher draft pick would increase the chances of using it to acquire a seasoned veteran player. Despite his reluctance, Lillard agreed to being sidelined, citing a ‘calf injury.’
This revelation could prompt the league to launch an investigation into the Blazers for potentially fabricating a calf injury for Lillard.
It’s plausible that Lillard’s camp disclosed this information to Haynes, possibly out of frustration with the Blazers’ handling of the star player’s trade request. Lillard had expressed his desire to be traded to the Miami Heat, but the Blazers allegedly declined trade discussions with the Eastern Conference team. Ultimately, Lillard was traded to one of his secondary choices, the Milwaukee Bucks, while another intriguing team was open to his acquisition.
Lillard cooperated with the Blazers’ request to sit out games when they needed it, but he may feel that the franchise did not reciprocate when he sought to shape things to his liking. Portland’s decision to prioritize rebuilding over utilizing the draft pick to acquire a veteran player may have also contributed to Lillard’s discontent.