Right now, Damian Lillard is officially a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. So much has gone down over the past several months, and it’s very much possible that Dame would have ended up elsewhere had it not been for the swift action of the Bucks front office.
In the end, Milwaukee got their man and they have now emerged as one of the heavy favorites to go all the way this coming season.
Damian Lillard Attempted to Rescind Trade Demand Before Milwaukee Bucks Move
As it turns out, however, Lillard’s move to Milwaukee almost did not come to fruition. In fact, there was reportedly one point during this entire saga when Dame wanted to remain in Portland. According to reports, Lillard attempted to reach out to the front office to try and rescind his trade demand. His request reportedly fell on deaf ears.
Apparently, the Blazers no longer wanted him back. Portland’s brass had already decided that it was time to move on from Lillard — which was instigated by his own demand to be traded — and there was simply no coming back from that.
Blazers GM Speaks Out
Speaking on Monday’s media availability, Blazers general Joe Cronin opened up about Lillard’s move to Milwaukee. For starters, the high-ranking team executive showed his appreciation to Dame for everything he’s done for the franchise:
“I want to open up thanking Damian Lillard for 11 incredible seasons with us,” Cronin said, via team insider Sean Highkin. “Obviously a Blazers legend. We’re excited to see what he has in store next and we’re rooting for him.”
When asked about Lillard’s attempt to pull back his trade demand, Cronin got brutally honest in his response:
“I told him I personally thought it was a bad idea. The trade request had not been rescinded,” Cronin said.
Not only did Cronin admit to not approving Lillard’s request, but the GM also stated that he was the one who delivered the brutal news to the seven-time All-Star — right to his face.
Cronin made it abundantly clear that that ship had sailed. It was a long time coming and at that point, there was no way the Blazers were going to allow Lillard to go back on his word:
“I was really committed to finding the deal that was right for the Trail Blazers. It took us the whole three months to do it,” Cronin said.
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