Damian Lillard, a seven-time All-Star with the Trail Blazers, has asked for a trade. Craig Mitchelldyer/Associated Press
Damian Lillard has said repeatedly that he wants to contend for a championship. After 11 years in Portland, he has decided he needs to move elsewhere to make that happen.
Lillard asked the Trail Blazers for a trade, a move that will end the seven-time All-Star’s tenure with that team, two people familiar with the matter said Saturday.
Lillard will generate interest from the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets, among others, according to the people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no details were announced publicly. One of the people told the AP that Lillard’s preference is Miami – the reigning Eastern Conference champion – though that hardly guarantees the Trail Blazers will work to facilitate that specific move.
Lillard is coming off a season in which he averaged 32.2 points for the Trail Blazers. He is a seven-time All-NBA selection and was selected to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team – but he has never been close to a title in his 11 seasons in the league.
He has met with Portland multiple times in recent weeks, asking for the roster to be upgraded to the point where he can compete for a championship. But those efforts, evidently, have not gone to Lillard’s liking and led to him asking to be moved elsewhere.
His decision was revealed on the second day of NBA free agency, after Portland made a huge splash on the first night by retaining Jerami Grant with a $160 million, five-year deal.
For as great as his resume is, Lillard hasn’t enjoyed much in the way of postseason success. The Blazers have won only four playoff series in his 11 seasons, making the Western Conference finals once during that span. The team went 33-49 this past season, the second consecutive year of finishing well outside the playoff picture.
But Lillard is, by any measure, a dynamic player. He has averaged at least 24 points per game in each of the last eight seasons, and his career average of 25.2 points ranks fourth among active players (with at least 375 games) behind Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and LeBron James.
CAVALIERS: Max Strus helped Miami get to the NBA Finals, and his stock soared in the process.
Strus is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers, agreeing to a $63 million, four-year deal that was finalized Saturday by making the transaction part of a three-team trade, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.
Strus goes to the Cavaliers, who will send Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens to San Antonio while Miami gets future second-round draft compensation, said the people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade terms have not been approved by the NBA.
Strus was a starter for Miami in its playoff runs over the last two years, including this past season’s trip to the finals against Denver. He averaged a career-best 11.5 points per game this past season and has shot 37% from 3-point range in his career.
Cleveland clearly prioritized shooting. The Cavs struck deals with Caris LeVert ($32 million, two years) and Georges Niang ($26 million, three years) on Friday; Niang is a career 40% shooter on 3s, and LeVert shot a career-best 39% from beyond the arc this past season.
KNICKS-PACERS TRADE: New York is trading Obi Toppin to Indiana, dealing away a former lottery pick who was loved by fans but never as much by coach Tom Thibodeau.
The Knicks will get back two second-round picks, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trade is not yet official.
It was first reported by ESPN.
Toppin was the No. 8 pick in the 2020 draft after winning national player of the year honors at Dayton. But when that season ended early and his first professional one was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toppin lost out on vital time to expand his skills and earn Thibodeau’s confidence.
He was also stuck playing behind All-Star Julius Randle, so playing time was hard to come by. Toppin made only 15 starts in his three seasons in New York.
LAKERS: Austin Reaves agreed to a four-year deal that could be worth $56 million, and D’Angelo Russell returned to the Lakers as well on a $37 million, two-year deal, people with knowledge of those transactions told The Associated Press. The Athletic first reported the agreement with Reaves, and ESPN first reported the agreement with Russell.
BUCKS: Milwaukee – which had already retained Khris Middleton – found a way to keep Brook Lopez on a two-year deal, a person familiar with the agreement told the AP. The Athletic and ESPN reported the deal was worth $48 million for the 35-year-old Lopez, who averaged 15.9 points in 78 games this past season for the Bucks.
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