Lillard remains determined to compete for a championship as Blazers stall in trade talks

The Portland Trail Blazers’ unwillingness, so far, to accommodate Damian Lillard’s request to be traded to the Heat has left the seven-time All Star point guard undeterred and unwavering.

Limited by what he can say publicly because of NBA rules, Lillard recently reiterated how important it is for him to be able to compete for a championship and declined to say anything about the only NBA team for which he has played.

In an Aug. 18 interview that was published on Wednesday, Lillard told Andscape and ESPN reporter Marc Spears that: “I can say that there was [a trade request] and I would just prefer not to speak on the Trail Blazers.”

These were Lillard’s first public comments since his agent, Aaron Goodwin, conveyed his trade request to Blazers management on July 1.

When asked what was the last straw that led to a trade request, Lillard said: “I’m not going to speak on the Blazers. It’s a lot of love and respect, but I won’t speak on the Blazers.”

Lillard remains set on playing for the Heat, but trade talks with Miami have been largely dormant for weeks. Throughout the process, the Heat has been unconvinced that Portland is even willing to trade the 11-year veteran. As of early this week, the Blazers have expressed no enthusiasm for the Heat’s assets or interest in engaging in serious negotiations.

But the Blazers are rebuilding, and Lillard made clear that his aspirations of winning a championship are “higher than it’s ever been. When you’re younger and you’re winning, you realize that you got time. When you establish yourself in the league and you know that you’re here to stay, you feel like you have time.

“The older you get, that just means more time that you’ve put into it, especially when you’re at the top of the game and you’re having all these individual accomplishments, it becomes more and more of a priority to have the ultimate accomplishment, which is why we play the game, in winning the championship.

“I would say the desire for that now is as high as it’s probably going to be. That’s literally the thing at the top of my list. When I wake up and I got to get up and go do what I got to do, I got to train, I got to make time for my kids, I still got to lift, I got to do all these things and I got to make sure that training and the preparation is still my priority.

“Even with being a father of three now, not one, and having all these other responsibilities, you need something that you feel pretty strong about to stay committed the way I’ve been committed. It’s as high as it’s going to get. That’s ultimately what I want to experience and that’s what I want to get done.”

Spears asked Lillard: “With the Blazers in rebuilding mode in the prime of [your] NBA career, where [do you] stand on loyalty versus what is best for [you] now?”

Lillard responded:

“If you look at the history of me speaking about loyalty, I’ve always said that I’m loyal to who I am and I’m going to do what I feel like is the right thing to do.

“For me, I know what I want for myself and I’m going to be loyal to that. When I feel like this is the vision I have for myself, this is what I see being fit for me at this moment, I’m going to ride that until the wheels fall off but anything that I’m a part of, it all has to be connected.

“It has to be aligned in what I see happening. That’s just a priority for me.... That’s what I’m loyal to.”

Lillard isn’t permitted to discuss his interest in the Heat or threaten the Blazers in the wake of a July memo sent to all 30 teams that stated he would be subject to discipline if he or Goodwin say anything to suggest that Lillard would not “fully perform the services called for under his player contract in the event of a trade.”

A violation of that policy this week led to a $100,000 fine for disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden.

Spears reported that Lillard said he has been “receiving counsel most notably from former Blazers teammate Mo Williams; former teammates Earl Watson, Dorell Wright and Chris Kaman; and Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach and Oakland, California, native Brian Shaw. The consensus advice for Lillard is to be” patient.

“The best word of advice is just that, ‘Everything will come to pass,’ ” Lillard said.

Lillard has a new home in Oregon and told Spears that “I love the city of Portland. Every initiative that I’ve started, I’ll continue and I’ll finish regardless of anything.

“[Portland-area residents] just tell me they love me. That’s literally what they say. ‘Dame, we love you. We thank you for everything.’ That’s the dialogue. It’s pretty simple and to the point.”

Lillard, 33, is due $216 million over the remaining four years of his contract, which has reportedly depressed trade interest beyond the Heat.

The Blazers have been hoping that delaying a potential Lillard trade could entice other teams to bid. But it’s unclear if Portland has any other offers, beyond one from the Heat that was extended shortly after his trade request.

Blazers general manager Joe Cronin told reporters on July 10 that: “I don’t feel that I did everything I could because I didn’t get done what I needed to get done. In that sense, I do feel like I failed Dame.” But he also said he’s in no rush to make a trade.