In an appearance on the "Sports By Northwest" podcast by The Oregonian, ESPN's Marc Spears gave an update on Damian Lillard's trade request. Spears said Lillard is still focused on getting to the Miami Heat, but that Jayson Tatum has tried to recruit the star guard to the Boston Celtics.

Moses Brown's contract with the Portland Trail Blazers is partially guaranteed for $250,000, sources told Keith Smith of Spotrac.

The contract increases to $500,000 if Brown makes the opening night roster.

The deal is then fully guaranteed by the January deadline. 

Damian Lillard publicly confirmed for the first time he requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers

“I can say that there was [a trade request] and I would just prefer not to speak on the Trail Blazers,” said Lillard to Marc J. Spears. 

On July 28, the NBA sent out a memo to all 30 teams stating that if Lillard and his agent Aaron Goodwin made any future comments, privately to teams or publicly, suggesting Lillard will not “fully perform the services called for under his player contract in the event of a trade,” he would be subject to discipline by the league.

Lillard could be subject to league discipline for publicly acknowledging the trade request. 

Lillard declined to comment on what ultimately led to the trade request.

“I’m not going to speak on the Blazers. It’s lot of love and respect, but I won’t speak on the Blazers.”

Lillard prefers a trade to the Miami Heat, but talks have not yet progressed. 

“It’s higher than it’s ever been," said Lillard on his motivation to win a title. "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.”

Regardless of the outcome, Lillard plans to stay rooted in Portland.

“I love the city of Portland,” Lillard said. “Every initiative that I’ve started, I’ll continue and I’ll finish regardless of anything. The love will be that because the way I’ve said I feel about Portland is how I feel about Portland. I say what I mean and I mean what I say. It’s been fine. It’s been what it’s always been …

“[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."

The Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat have reportedly had very little dialogue on a Damian Lillard trade despite his trade request coming on July 1st.

The expectation among those close to the situation is that talks could pick up once training camp gets closer.

The Blazers have not been in a rush to deal Lillard as they hope for an improved offer, but bringing him into camp and potentially the preseason is viewed by some as a risk.

Blazers general manager Joe Cronin went on the record in July indicating that a Lillard trade could "take months."

Moses Brown has agreed to a partially guaranteed one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. 

Brown appeared in 36 games last season with the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets.

Brown previously played in nine games as a rookie in 19-20 with the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Portland Trail Blazers signed Ashton Hagans to an Exhibit 10 deal.

The 24-year-old last appeared in the NBA during the 2020-21 season for the Timberwolves. 

The Portland Trail Blazers continue to show no interest in engaging with the Miami Heat on a Damian Lillard trade.

Lillard requested a trade to the Heat on July 1st.

The NBA has only scheduled one national television game for the Blazers, which will be when they host the Heat in February. 

There is "no real traction" around Damian Lillard trade possibilities, sources told Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Charania adds that Lillard remains focused on a move to the Heat. This comes after the NBA warned Lillard and his agent over making public comments that Lillard only wants to play for Miami. 

Charania reported on Monday that the Heat were putting together a trade package involving 3-4 first-round picks.