Damian Lillard plans to request a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers at some point over the next few days, a source close to the player tells TrueHoop.
Following Portland's first round exit from the playoffs, they parted ways with Terry Stotts and then eventually hired Chauncey Billups in what was a controversial decision. Lillard endorsed Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups for the job. Kidd removed his name from consideration, while Billups was eventually hired despite a sexual assault allegation from 1997 that Lillard was unaware of before the process began.
Lillard is signed through 2024, which gives him little leverage in forcing his way out to a preferred destination. The Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors have been mentioned prominently in trade rumors involving Lillard.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports reported in late June that Lillard could decide to request a trade from the Blazers due to concerns over their championship viability as well as backlash over his role in their coaching search.
On Friday, Haynes reported that Lillard will address the TrueHoop report after Team USA's practice.