The Toronto Raptors were always on the periphery of the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, as the Portland Trail Blazers star seems intent on finding some way to force a trade to the Miami Heat. Toronto has started sniffing around amid some buzz that Portland is unsatisfied with the Heat’s package.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, Lillard is reportedly not going to show up at training camp unless he is on the Blazers or Heat. Whatever remote chance Toronto may have thought they had at getting Lillard on their team has been expertly washed away.
The Raptors could still conceivably end up in the Lillard sweepstakes as a third team that adds an impact player like Tyler Herro. However, the Raptors (who were mentioned by Charania by name as a team who might need to put their Lillard chase on ice) need to move on to greener pastures.
Dame will not report to training camp if he’s traded to a team other than Miami, per @ShamsCharania
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 11, 2023
“At this point… the only two training camps that Damian Lillard would report to, in theory: Portland and Miami.” 😳
(h/t: @TheRally) pic.twitter.com/RGje7DSi82
More Raptors news
- 2023 FIBA World Cup MVP Dennis Schroder called out how his home country of Germany handled the promotion of his team’s run to the gold medal on TV.
- “We first thought the tournament was going to be on the TV. Only the final was on the TV,” Schröder said. “Basketball is a great sport, and I hope we can get our respect for what we are doing the last two years…We hope to get this respect also in our country and get recognized.”
- Pascal Siakam might be subject to a new NBA rule that would prohibit players from load managing in games that will be on national television. Siakam would qualify, as he was an All-Star in the last three seasons.
NBA Board of Governors is expected to vote this week on new policy that a team is unable to rest two star players in the same game, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Many league discussions over past 1-2 years have centered around stars playing more, curbing load management.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 11, 2023
NBA news
- The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be getting the band back together, as they inked a one-year contract with Canadian big man Tristan Thompson, who was a member of their championship run alongside LeBron James. Thompson made some cameos for the Los Angeles Lakers in the postseason.
- The San Antonio Spurs were not interested in keeping Cameron Payne, who arrived in town after a trade away from the Phoenix Suns earlier in the season. Payne was waived by San Antonio, which could give the veteran backup a chance to latch on with a contending team in the near future.
As the offseason comes closer to an end, there is never a dull moment in Raptors world.