Now that it’s over, the place does the Damian Lillard saga rank by way of drama within the listing of superstars who’ve demanded trades earlier than?
Marilyn Dubinski: Not that prime, all issues thought of. Pretty much as good of a person participant as Lillard is — and he has led Portland to some excessive moments — they haven’t completed that a lot below him within the grand scheme of issues, and at age 33 it’s not like he’ll be breaking apart a promising younger core or championship contender. This isn’t on the identical stage as Kawhi Leonard asking out of the Spurs, Carmelo Anthony leaving the Nuggets, Dwight Howard ditching the Magic, and even Anthony Davis and Pelicans. Perhaps the shock of stars demanding trades has worn off, or perhaps the truth that some had been stunned Lillard even signed an extension with Portland within the first place means the writing had been on the wall for him, even when he didn’t understand it on the time.
Mark Barrington: It’s just a little shocking to me, as a result of I assumed that Dame would end out his profession in Portland, however within the pantheon of star drama within the NBA, it hardly registers. You can say that he’s blowing up the staff, however can you actually blow up a staff that’s already a post-apocalyptic hellscape? He was simply asking out so he may very well be on a greater staff within the latter a part of his profession, which is a reasonably widespread situation amongst ageing superstars. I rank this someplace between Camelo Anthony’s exit from Denver and LaMarcus Aldridge’s exit from the Spurs. That’s a fairly extensive hole, I do know. as a result of Carmelo left Denver on the peak of his skills, however by no means was in a position to make one other staff a contender, and LaMarcus left the Spurs very close to the tip of his profession. The similarity is that neither of them had been in a position to have practically as a lot impression on their new groups as folks anticipated after the transfer.
Bruno Passos: I’m unsure of the very best standards for energy rating drama, however in my thoughts it must be enjoyable or a minimum of compelling, and I wouldn’t take into account this one to be both. That will change quickly contemplating a non-Warmth staff did certainly swoop in and traded for him, however I don’t see quite a lot of meat on the bone contemplating how lengthy it drawn out and the comparatively low stakes for Portland to maximise its return, with Scoot Henderson already on deck. May the narrative not a minimum of have some type of uncle determine working within the shadow?
Jesus Gomez: It ranks low as a result of it doesn’t have any iconic moments or third events concerned, for probably the most half. The Melodrama commerce request had the Nets and Knicks combating for him and hypothesis that he hated George Karl. The Dwightmare gave us the Stan Van Gundy Pepsi second and the bizarre opt-in. Kawhi’s state of affairs had Uncle Dennis making the whole lot weirder. There was simply nothing distinctive or actually all that attention-grabbing about this entire factor, which lasted longer than it most likely ought to have. I’d put it within the Anthony Davis “yeah, this was most likely certain to occur” class.
Is it good or dangerous for the league that Portland held robust and didn’t commerce him to the Warmth?
Dubinski: I’m unsure how a lot impact it’s having on the league, per se, however I do respect Portland holding out for what was greatest for them. Issues have gone too far overboard for the final decade with gamers signing practically untradeable extensions (a minimum of by way of getting honest worth again), solely to rebuff a 12 months or two later and threaten to take a seat out. The league is making an attempt to combat again in opposition to the sitting out half by not paying and fining gamers who’re no-shows, however maybe some type of stipulation must be drawn up that if a participant indicators a max or a minimum of supermax extension, they’re dedicated except a mutual settlement to interrupt up is met.
Barrington: I don’t suppose it has any impression on the league. Each state of affairs with a celebrity is exclusive, and doesn’t have quite a lot of relevance to the subsequent time it occurs. I don’t even know that ‘holding robust’ is an efficient description of what the Path Blazers had been doing. They had been simply asking for an even bigger deal than anybody was keen to pay. Somebody was going to ultimately meet their calls for or they’d have been compelled to just accept much less. That’s not holding robust, that simply negotiating. The truth that Lillard threatened to refuse to play restricted their leverage, however that’s a part of the negotiation. Any staff keen to make a cope with Portland knew that they’d additionally must cope with Lillard. I don’t suppose that he’s really going to have the ability to refuse to play with out penalties, and though he wasn’t traded to his most well-liked staff, he nonetheless landed on a contender.
Passos: From the league’s perspective, I take into account it an amazing factor {that a} smaller market staff didn’t capitulate to its homegrown star participant demanding to go to a particular glamor market. These strikes already are inclined to alienate followers (and I don’t actually take pleasure in how a lot NBA protection is on potential transactions and off-the-court stuff), and it may be particularly crushing if the character of a participant demand kneecaps the type of return his staff will get again — we noticed what that did right here. As we already are making ready for the subsequent class of stars anticipated to ask out (specifically, Embiid and Giannis), it’s good that these gamers don’t see probably the most particular of energy performs as the way in which out.
Gomez: It’s most likely not going to alter something, sadly. Superstars nonetheless have the ability after they ask out and if Lillard had completed it years in the past, he most likely would have been in a position to dictate the place he ended up. Others, like Kawhi Leonard, tried the empty risk of not displaying as much as play prior to now nevertheless it didn’t work then both. Ultimately, each superstars really discovered themselves in a great spot after the mud had settled and their former groups needed to face a rebuild. It’s simply the way in which issues work in a league that’s trending an increasing number of in direction of catering to solely the very best gamers and a handful of glamour groups.
