PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — NBA star Damian Lillard told dissatisfied fans to start a petition for the Portland Trail Blazers to trade him.
The point guard’s tweet on Thursday morning followed social media chatter about the Blazers keeping the number three pick in the 2023 NBA draft and trading Lillard instead. For now, the Blazers are expected to trade their first-round pick for this summer’s NBA Draft after landing the number 3 overall selection during the NBA Draft Lottery on May 16, multiple sports outlets report.
However, some fans are expressing interest in trading the soon-to-be 33-year-old guard and starting fresh.
“If the fans [wanna] trade me … start the petition and send it in,” Lillard tweeted.
Drafted by the Blazers in 2012, Lillard has remained with Rip City for 11 seasons and earned the accolade of the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.
“I been on the same time [for] over a decade lol,” Lillard wrote on Twitter in response to a claim that he wants to be traded and is using social media chatter as an excuse to start the conversation. “I’m just saying, if the [people] got different wishes.”
In 2019, the Portland Trail Blazers signed the All-Star to a four-year extension worth up to $196 million. Lillard has an option to decline the final year of his contract, which would pay him roughly $50 million for the 2024-25 season.
Trade speculation will continue ahead of the NBA Draft, which will be held on June 22 in New York City.
