https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/damian-lillard-loyalty-over-everything I’m saying, you think you know how deep this goes, but you have no idea. When I say that I will never, ever switch up on the city of Portland, I mean what I say. When I say that I will never, ever switch up on this organization, I mean what I say. They might switch up on me. That’s business. That’s basketball. But I will never switch up on the city. I don’t want it easy. I’m drawn to the struggle. When I came here, we hadn’t won a playoff series since 2000. You had so many injuries to franchise guys like Brandon Roy and Greg Oden over the years, and it’s so tough to come back from that. Even going way back, you had All-Stars like Clyde Drexler and Bill Walton who didn’t choose to end their careers as a Blazer. Well, I’m going to be that. I’m going to carry that. I’m going to bring a ring to this city or go down swinging.
Its the one team thing and statements such as he never meant loyalty to the city previously only loyalty to himself. If he just asked for a trade like Durant did fans wouldn't be upset or take it personal.
https://www.spotrac.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers//cap 2023-24 Luxury Tax Totals Denotes the Trail Blazers current standing in terms of the luxury tax threshold. Teams that spend over the threshold pay fines (estimated below). TYPE TOTALS 2023 NBA Luxury Tax Threshold $165,294,000 Total Taxable Salaries $161,970,909 Current Luxury Tax Space $3,323,091
They, being the front office switched up on Dame. Joe said as much, Joe said they tried to do right by Dame but couldn't get it done and would trade him. To my knowledge Dame hasn't put his newly built compound up for sale. I saw a quote from his mom saying that no matter where Dame was playing Portland would be home. The front office has been telling Dame for years that they would build a win now team around him. They had him sit when he could have kept playing at an MVP level last season, so they could build a win now team around him. Then they didn't do that. They didn't only select and keep Scoot but they did the same with Kris and they did not unlock future draft picks to use in a trade to get Dame proven help. This shit isn't hard to understand. I'm not saying it was a bad move by Joe but it was a move that left Dame feeling like he would either look stupid or demand a trade... that's what Dame said on the only podcast he's done since June 6th. You can keep acting like Dame switched things up on us but it was the front office that switched things up on him. That's not an accusation towards Joe, it's just a fact that Joe has readily acknowledged.
Yeah either Charlotte is robbing us - would be better for us to keep Herro regardless of how awkward that is. Or Miami is still totally lowballing - not even giving up future picks, Jaquez, or Martin.
I don't necessarily disagree with this. Yeah the front office decisions have basically pushed Dame to where he almost had to ask for a trade. But either don't comment or just man up and say things changed. Never expected or intended to be at this point but here we are. Don't try and spin it as "I never said I'm loyal to Portland - I've only ever been loyal to myself" Makes him sound fake and like a sleezy soap opera salesmen.
MMs trade seems to have the Heat taking back 3.4M more than they are allowed. Jaquez's salary would make it work but even before adding Jaquez that trade puts us in the tax. Maybe the package will be around what MM was saying but it can't be what MM said.
Only way 2 picks 2 swaps could make sense for the Blazers is if they are both "double swaps" and the picks are each the better of two picks. Something such as; First swap is Blazers get the best of their own 2027, 2027 Miami or 2027 Charlotte Second swap is Blazers get the best of their own 2029, 2029 Miami or 2029 Charlotte Blazers get best of 2028 Miami or 2028 Charlotte - Miami keeps the other Blazers get best of 2030 Miami or 2030 Charlotte - Charlotte keeps the other That way Charlotte and Miami each technically only lose a single pick and are free to trade away a pick in another deal. Doubt the deal would be this creative - but thats only way I can see MM guess being not completely ridiculous from Portland end. I still would not agree to the deal, but this is 10x better than getting all protected picks or something.
That's also a misquote. He said, "I've always said I'm loyal to who I am." This isn't the first time he has said that. Just this week he did "man up" and gave an analogy explaining what happened. He said if you made a promise to be loyal to someone and they decided to stop keeping their side of that promise to be loyal that you would be stupid to keep being loyal to that promise that doesn't exist anymore. Here in this podcast a 50 minutes. Nothing sleazy about it. Same shit Dame's been saying.
Did I miss where MM gave an exact package? He listed potentially what we would be getting, but didn't say at all what Miami was sending out.
I know it's an estimate from MM, it just doesn't make a lot of sense because either Charlotte is getting Herro and possibly Jaquez and only sending us Hayward or Miami is only sending us one pick, swaps and Jovic. The returns he's estimating just don't make sense to me.
