Over the summer, former Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard made it clear that he wanted to be traded to the Heat.
In fact, he basically asked for it.
But when Lillard learned in early September that the Blazers and Heat couldn’t reach a deal, he asked if he could stay in Portland, according to Bleacher Report/TNT’s Chris Haynes.
However, Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said no.
The Blazers decided to move on — and according to Haynes, Lillard was stunned
He was eventually traded to the Bucks in a three-team deal with the Suns.
Despite this, Lillard still went to the Blazers’ practice facility to work.
He told Haynes that Cronin had not spoken to him once during that time.
“I came to this facility because I was still on the roster and usually around this time of year, team activities start happening as a group,” Lillard said.
“I wasn’t sure if I would be transferred or not, so I showed up to be part of the mix.
When it became clear that Lillard would not stay with the Blazers or move to the Heat, he met with his agent Aaron Goodwin to come up with a backup plan.
That so-called wish list includes the Bucks and Nets, Haynes reported.