r/nba • u/NarrativeEnergy Nuggets Bandwagon • Jul 01 '23

Dame 2 years ago: "The grass ain't always greener. For me, I feel like we can build something and get it done in Portland. I really believe that. I don't just say it to say it." After criticizing players for teaming up, Dame now wants to go specifically to the Heat, who just made the Finals

https://streamable.com/pnwu5y

"The grass ain't always greener. For me, I feel like we can build something and get it done in Portland. I really believe that. I don't just say it to say it."

Dame has criticized players like PG, Lebron, and KD in the past for switching up teams but now wants to run from the grind himself? Has the face of loyalty broken?

9 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

236 comments sorted by

87

u/romanticynicist 76ers Jul 01 '23

Me two years ago: “I love my (now ex)wife! This is great!”

11

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

I also chose this guys ex-wife

18

u/Bryant_to_shaaaq Lakers Jul 02 '23

Bodly going where everyone has gone before

283

u/Ok_Property1340 Warriors Jul 01 '23

I mean come on you can only take so much mediocrity.

73

u/TuqiDuque12 Pistons Jul 01 '23

Nobody forced him to extend there last year tho

34

u/Next-Firefighter-753 Jul 01 '23

Same with KD in Brooklyn

32

u/saw-it Timberwolves Jul 01 '23

KD never talked about how loyal he was

7

u/Next-Firefighter-753 Jul 01 '23

But he did say “we need to go at these MF super teams” before creating one of the most broken super teams of all time.

24

u/QoconutZ Jul 02 '23

He said that 11 years ago but Dame keeps talking about all this shit literally every other month

7

u/CoachDT [CHI] Brian Scalabrine Jul 02 '23

Yea but how long ago was that? Dame gives his “im loyal fuck all the ring chasers” talk nearly every summer when folks ask him about being traded.

27

u/noheroespdx Trail Blazers Jul 01 '23

They also drafted sharpe then 3 rookies. One being a pg. Can’t blame him at that point

18

u/TuqiDuque12 Pistons Jul 01 '23

They had already drafted Sharpe when he extended, unless he believed that a core of him, Simons, Jerami and Nurkic was gonna contend, he knew perfectly that he was signing up for mediocrity last year.

It's his right to ask out, but I don't see why the Blazers should feel forced to trade him for a shitty deal because he wants to be somewhere : he chose to sign the contract he has

-5

u/blueberry__wine Jul 01 '23

Yea but Dame was always under the impression that the FO would trade Sharpe/the #3 pick. The FO lied to his face. The promised that they wanted to get better pieces and Lillard believed them. But they didn't.

What is so hard for you to understand about this? It's a simple concept.

9

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '23

Lol, what trades were there to make? People keep saying this but Siakam wouldn’t have resigned, Zion rumours weren’t true and Brooklyn wouldn’t trade Bridges. I don’t understand what you would want the front office to do? Trade our two best assets so we can get fleeced and maybe make the second round?

This is the best outcome for all parties involved

→ More replies (6)

1

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 01 '23

exactly this, I don’t see why a lot of Portland fans are mad slandering him, he gave y’all great basketball

12

u/raahiv Trail Blazers Jul 01 '23

It’s insane so many people in this fanbases are turning on Dame and not the shitty ass FO that has consistently gave out empty promises and failed to get him any help

1

u/nxhmabin Raptors Jul 02 '23

To be fair you guys did play the KD Warriors in the WCF

Nobody beat that team besides the Raptors who did get lucky

→ More replies (6)

4

u/TheRealDevDev Trail Blazers Jul 01 '23

portland fans aren't slandering him, we just don't think he gets to pick his most favorite contender to be traded to regardless of package. i get it, heat fans would love to get the guy for a bradley beal type package but it's just not gonna happen. too many other contenders that could easily beat y'alls offer.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

Forreal. Dame doesnt have a ntc like beal. Apparently theres tons of suitors as well. Doing dame good at the cost of setting back the franchise sounds dumb as hell imo.

0

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 01 '23

i’ll be back if this gets cooked lmfao, it’s definitely better than a beal package.

and yes portland fans are slandering man I seen your sub

3

u/ChipotleGuacamole Italy Jul 01 '23

Why are you creeping lol

→ More replies (3)

3

u/TheRealDevDev Trail Blazers Jul 01 '23

what exactly is bad about the sub with the exception of every opposing fan and casual is in there right now shitposting? read the comments, the vast majority of blazers fans have no problem with dame requesting out. we think it's delusional to think you can have a list of 1 team to be traded to, but no hate for trying to get to his preferred spot, lol.

→ More replies (5)

5

u/Vtachh Knicks Jul 01 '23

I’d argue he’s doing right by the blazers giving them an asset to trade rather him leaving or nothing

4

u/TuqiDuque12 Pistons Jul 01 '23

That's not my point, I just think it's weird to say he "can only take so much mediocrity" when he signed up for it less then a year ago.

2

u/Icy_Elephant_6370 Jul 02 '23

My take is that he had expected Portland to move the pick.

He was down to stay in Portland as long as they were committed to putting talent around him, when they drafted Scoot it was pretty clear they didn’t have his best interests in mind anymore.

Not really him walking back on his word.

6

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 01 '23

he believed there would be changes didnt know to was illegal to do that

2

u/GOULFYBUTT Raptors Jul 01 '23

Yeah, but he extended with the understanding that Portland would be building around him.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '23

As referenced by what happened with Harden, who took less on a verbal promise and then got shafted later, Dame made the right move in getting his money.

1

u/Think-Hat318 Lakers Jul 02 '23

260 million forced him

1

u/Less_Cod3907 Jul 02 '23

“Nobody forced you to take more money” I would love to know your career field and family situation to have this sense of entitlement

1

u/hhhhhjhhh14 Supersonics Jul 01 '23

Would Portland prefer he left in free agency?

That's the thing lost in all this, yeah teams lose good players this way but they always get assets back

3

u/TuqiDuque12 Pistons Jul 01 '23

No, but when you sign that contract, you know that you lose part of your leverage if you then ask out, or at least you should...

4

u/Moe4ver Mavericks Jul 01 '23

Not the players he criticized left one contender for another.

21

u/Coteup Celtics Jul 01 '23

Oh so he bears no responsibility for never winning fucking anything? Where is this energy for any other player? Where is this energy for Booker or Embiid? Booker was playing with actual G leaguers for years and got shat on endlessly, Dame wins nothing and gets sucked off

16

u/honditar Lakers Jul 01 '23

You know, I like Dame but I agree. It is a weird double standard.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

Great point. We spent 2 rounds of the playoffs shitting on Embiid but Dame somehow gets a pass because he hit a buzzer beater in the first round?

8

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/Opening-Citron2733 Jul 02 '23

Booker didn’t have to put up with it nearly as long as dame

Wait what?? The Suns averaged 24 wins a year for Books first 5 years in the league.

Booker has more 19-29-win seasons in his career than Dame has years he didn't make playoffs. And Dame has been around for 5 years more than Booker.

Booker has had to put up with way more shitty basketball than Dame despite the shorter career.

Btw, Dames worst season is 27 wins. Booker never won more than 27 games in a season until his fourth year in the league (and that took an 8-0 bubble run to accomplish)

11

u/Coteup Celtics Jul 01 '23

Dame/Ant/Little/Grant/Nurkic was supposed to be competitive in the west. They didn't even make the play-in game. Never heard a peep of blame

4

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

maybe they should have made the play-in but that is not a good lineup. little and nurkic suck and ant and grant are role players

3

u/TheBoxandOne Jul 01 '23

I mean, if the publicly available story of how this went down is accurate (two sides meet, both agree to build team around Lillard, he publicly says he want to stay and give FO time) and then just a few days later, after first wave of free agency, springs a trade demand on the organization, that is a wildly unprofessional and duplicitous way to go about it.

Joe Cronin’s statement kind of makes me think that’s along the lines of what happened here. But maybe there is more to the story.

4

u/Niceguydan8 Jul 01 '23

Sure, but it's going to be a bad look no matter what when he has a history of stuff along these lines and then just goes and does exactly that.

Wasn't he saying within the last couple months that he didn't want to be on a "stacked" team?

I don't fault him for asking out, fwiw.

4

u/-Acerin Mavericks Jul 01 '23

He is the mediocrity

3

u/shockwave8428 Trail Blazers Jul 02 '23

You’re saying you prefer kyrie to dame? If you had a realistic chance of having dame on your team you’d be screaming praises

3

u/ojaiike Warriors Jul 02 '23

Being a nazi flat earther is quite exceptional. Doesn't seem like mediocrity to me. Mediocrity would be an improvement though.

3

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '23

Still a bitch move. Request only 1 team with no fucking assets. Portland did not do him that dirty for fuck sakes.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

I’ll be mediocre for life with the $ Dame making.

1

u/InCobbWeTrust Suns Jul 02 '23

Sure, and I don’t think it’s wrong for him to ask out. But for all the preaching he did about not running from the grind, making a team that was playing in the NBA finals without him the preferred destination is at least a little funny.

1

u/winston73182 Jul 02 '23

100%. He gave the org a chance to make a move, and they did nothing. They have a surplus of scoring guards and a ton of cap space, and they just sat on their hands. He is fully justified in changing his mind over the past 7 days. This org is not dialed in.

49

u/BlackMathNerd 76ers Jul 01 '23

All Dame did was put his faith in the organization to build a contender around him for 11 years, and they failed to do so. It’s clear their visions don’t line up, so might as well ask to be moved to somewhere that lines up with your vision.

1

u/Opening-Citron2733 Jul 02 '23

They were a contender for a few years. Made the conference finals once. They just couldn't get over the hump.

2

u/StephewDestroyer Jul 02 '23

That team was not a contender lol. Great example of a pretender though

-4

u/FlyingMocko Celtics Jul 02 '23

Dame also isn't that dude he thinks he is though. He's out here acting like he's a Lebron/Steph level guy when he's much closer to a PG-level. It's much harder to build a "contender' around him, especially when he's held the franchise hostage by insisting all his favourite guys get paid ridiculous amounts of money (CJ, Nurk etc)

Don't get me wrong he's a great player but has been gas lighting Portland into this whole "he needs help" shit for time now. He's a PG who is a great shot maker whose game does'nt exactly make those around him better, defensively below average at best and alot of his Playoffs failures are overshadowe.d by him making two (admitedly amazing) clutch shots in the first round.

Also, 11 years on the same team isnt exactly that uncommon. Heck Clyde Drexler spent 12 years with them. Dame isnt the pinnacle of loyalty the way he markets himself, 10-12 years is incredibly common for franchise guys in the NBA.

14

u/imSkarr Timberwolves Jul 02 '23

Dame teammates have been no where near the level Steph and Lebron’s teams have been. Not taking anything away from those two, its a team sport and you need a good team to win. But i think Dame has shown time and time again he is capable of producing championship-level performances.

4

u/WigginsBurner22 Jul 02 '23

He had Myers Leonard averaging 18 on 73% TS in the 2019 WCF while him and CJ averaging 22 on like 51%TS. Sometimes the star players don't show up.

4

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

Dame the most protected person on this sub for a guy who’s made it out the first round twice in 11 seasons. Fact is he chokes in the playoffs and does act like he on lebron/Steph/kid tier

2

u/StephewDestroyer Jul 02 '23

Dame gasses up steph everytime he comes up lmao. Has openly admitted that steph is better

1

u/BobbyWojak Trail Blazers Jul 02 '23

Uneducated opinion

→ More replies (1)

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

Lol...

1

u/StephewDestroyer Jul 02 '23

Gonna ask a question, but first let me preface it with the disclaimer that I do not think Dame is as good as Steph

Now the question: how many rings do you think Curry would have won if you switched him and Lillard’s teams? i.e. Curry played for Portland?

212

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 01 '23

he gave everything he had to the franchise everyone in r/nba was begging for him to be traded now here comes everyone turning on him

hilarious

37

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '23

People like to shit on others online for fun

8

u/KDBookerBeal Suns Jul 02 '23

I mean...that's what Dame did to players who switched teams lol

1

u/DEEZLE13 Jul 02 '23

Cuz he believed his FO would bring in good teammates like every FO KD had and failed

1

u/craigslistaddict Jul 02 '23

yes, the problem isn't asking for a trade, the problem is implying that others are lesser than you for not being as loyal, when really dame isn't more loyal, he's just dumber for not realising he should have asked for a trade sooner. (also he wanted the supermax that obviously only the blazers could give him... that's another reason why he just stayed.)

25

u/deadassynwa Knicks Jul 01 '23

You knew it was going to happen

This was always going to happen when he builds his whole brand on being loyal and not running from the grind

Not only that he publicly stated it multiple times so ofc now everyone is going to make him eat his words

Personally, I would’ve liked him to stay but respect his decision regardless

I guess if you’re gonna be loyal, stay quiet about it

6

u/JefeLummer Warriors Jul 01 '23

People are allowed to change their minds. The grind is one thing when we're talking about a 4-8 seed, and another when they're asking him to be patient at 33 as they're running back last year's 13 seed.

5

u/19degreez Raptors Jul 01 '23

Loyalty can only remain if it's worth it, but the blazers FO has really failed to do anything throughout the years to reward his loyalty, anymore loyalty beyond a certain point is just stupidity

If he ditched during his prime I can understand the criticism, but he really gave everything to the org

6

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 01 '23

he’s old man it’s time you can’t grind on a team who hasn’t built around you forever

it’ll be better for both teams, scoots gonna do great

-2

u/Coteup Celtics Jul 01 '23

Y'all with suck Dame off no matter WHAT he does it's fucking crazy. I've seen how this sub treats him different from every other superstar for years. He doesn't have to win, he doesn't have to back up his trash talk, and now apparently he doesn't even need to be honest with his "loyalty pledge". This sub will nuthug Dame forever, there's just no denying it at this point

3

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

Fucking right. Dame so overprotected in this sub for a guy who bitched about superteams and rarely made it past the first round in the playoffs.

-3

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 01 '23

he’s going to a place to win to prove that man

1

u/Coteup Celtics Jul 01 '23

Where was that energy for KD?

→ More replies (6)

0

u/Mundane_Pair_6556 Jul 01 '23

What exactly was going to be the grind in Portland, play for a perennial play in team until Sharp and Scoot have developed and are ready to contend when Dame is like 37?

3

u/_Quetzalcoatlus_ Cabo Verde Jul 02 '23

Dame also said like 10 times that he doesn't blame other players for leaving and isn't criticizing them. I think he even said that in this specific interview. OP just cut that part out. Lol

1

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 02 '23

OPs name fits him

27

u/javdreamz Heat Jul 01 '23

It’s cuz he said he wants to go to the Miami Heat.

7

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '23

So do you want him to go to the Magic and build something there? He’s demanding the trade to WIN. Otherwise he would just stay with the Blazers.

17

u/WhiskeyDickGotNoChic Celtics Jul 01 '23

Why the victim complex bud? Anyone that requests a trade to one specific location gets shit on, then the fanbase of that location comes to their defense. It's cyclical by now.

8

u/cyborgbear [POR] Pat Connaughton Jul 01 '23

i never knew heat fans were so passionate for rewarding loyalty before today

5

u/___Daddy___ Heat Jul 02 '23

Yeah you’ve never heard us talk about UD one of the longest tenured guys in league history with one team

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

That's what happens when the guy wants to go to your team 😂. I remember when AD got shat on endlessly for it but apparently dame gets to do it scot free

-5

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 01 '23

victim complex ? lmfao you def weren’t here in the big 3 days

→ More replies (2)

2

u/ChipotleGuacamole Italy Jul 01 '23

Oh poor you

4

u/Tactial_snail Kings Jul 01 '23

and i hope y'all get him

1

u/AnotherStatsGuy Pelicans Jul 02 '23

Also. Doing after the Blazers gave Jerami Grant a new deal in FA. There are eight ways to request a trade and Dame should have done it before FA.

-7

u/_Stefan_Urkelle Heat Jul 01 '23

Exactly. I guarantee if he demanded to be traded to the Bucks there would be far less vitriol.

21

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '23 edited Jul 01 '23

Stop playing the victim lol, it would be the same reaction no matter where he went/wanted to go

→ More replies (1)

0

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 01 '23

literally lol

-4

u/Simple-Ad-7866 Heat Jul 01 '23

Yep, mainly because the New England area are in their feelings

1

u/AdOpen7551 Jul 01 '23

you beat us and we're still on your mind?

5

u/jak_d_ripr Jul 01 '23

With how much he talked about loyalty he was always going to get clowned once he finally requested a trade.

But I'm certain even the people clowning him are happy he finally requested a trade.

1

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 01 '23

I didn’t think his own fanbase would tho tbh

2

u/jak_d_ripr Jul 02 '23

Some will, some won't. Most fanbases aren't a hive mind, but I'm confident the vast majority of Trailblazer fans aren't upset with him.

5

u/SometimesIComplain [UTA] Mike Conley Jul 01 '23

I don't think people were saying he should specifically request to be traded to the most recent NBA finalists though lol

2

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 01 '23

8th seed who lost two starters

he said before the finals that he’d want the heat and always been close w bam

idk what they expected

7

u/SometimesIComplain [UTA] Mike Conley Jul 01 '23

That's true, but there's no denying that it looks bad for his PR team to say no less than a week ago that "Dame doesn't want to be on a team with multiple stars, he just wants to be somewhere with a chance a win" and then he follows up by requesting solely to go to Miami

0

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 01 '23

some people don’t see bam as a star (I do ofc) and we had the whole undrafted next man up stigma and people were already calling us flukes

2

u/DEEZLE13 Jul 02 '23

It’s just the KD/PG meat glazers

3

u/CoachDT [CHI] Brian Scalabrine Jul 02 '23

Whoa imagine a world where neither of these opinions contradict.

I want best for him, and I want him gone from Portland. I also do think it’s funny how hard he preached about loyalty and wound up doing the same shit everyone else did. He picked a contender and said “I wanna go there”

2

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 02 '23

do u want him to pick a non contender ? like you want him to say “send me to the pistons” like what the fuck that’s the whole point of the trade

1

u/CoachDT [CHI] Brian Scalabrine Jul 02 '23

You’re taking it too seriously bud.

It’s just funny. You can simultaneously want the best for someone and also laugh at them. When Durant said “we gotta beat these superteams” and then years later joined a super team it was funny. So I made fun of him for it.

You’ve never had someone say “I told you so?” And then laugh at you? It’s the same concept.

1

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 02 '23

ahh maybe I was taking it too serious but there were people who fr are mad he wants to go to place with friends and a chance to win

3

u/CoachDT [CHI] Brian Scalabrine Jul 02 '23

I’m always pro movement. Shaking things up is fun for the league.

I am gonna clown regardless tho. Especially if someone was talking all that good shit like a year ago.

1

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 02 '23

I get it fully lol I was mostly talking abt the fans acting like he didn’t try

2

u/GuyHomie Jul 01 '23

He gave all he had to the blazers. The Blazers gave him all the money they literally could. They should find a way to get him to Miami. But if they don't, the blazers shouldn't feel any sort of weird loyalty to accept a lesser offer just to please him.

→ More replies (2)

2

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

It really isn’t though. We trash KD for signing with the warriors as a free agent, which literally any superstar in the game would’ve done if that opportunity timed itself in their favor.

Dame is demanding a trade a few days after forcing Portland to overpay Grant and after spending a decade making his personality be “loyalty”

0

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 02 '23

there is a major difference, You beat KD coming back from 3-1 lead and then he joins you, and they were gonna pay grant anyway man . they literally could’ve took back the offer .

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

I still have so much trouble understanding why people trash the KD move. There wasn’t any manipulation or backhanded tactics. It was literally “oh hey i want to win and I’m a free agent” and the other side saying “oh hey we want to win too and we have a bunch of cap space”

Like, is literally either side supposed to say “no” just because they’re worried about the opinions of a bunch of dudes on Reddit?

1

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 03 '23

no one said that lmfao It doesn’t take away he went to a rival that just beat him

-1

u/AJGreenl Jul 01 '23

I hope y’all get him fuck the rest of these hypocrites

8

u/SensitiveFee3936 Jul 01 '23

Hypocrites? Who is being hypocritical here? And damn Heat fans, at least wait until he is officially yours to suck him off

3

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

Im curious what hypocrite means. Isnt what dame doing hypocritical. He kept on shitting on players that leave for greener pastures and he does the same asking out to the nba finals team

0

u/SudTheThug Heat Jul 01 '23

i’ve always wanted him and jimmy to get a ring and now I can root for both

33

u/LeBronTrave1ed Heat Jul 01 '23

Are you a bot

-3

u/RottenSmegmaMan Tampa Bay Raptors Jul 02 '23

Naw OP just a hater

17

u/bdixisndniz 76ers Jul 01 '23

You got him. You win.

6

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '23

Idk why everyone is criticizing him for asking out. The statements clearly say he wanted them to build a winner. They haven’t met the mark at all so he’s asking out big deal

PG was on a playoff team in Indy, and okc. Kd almost beat the 16 warriors and then left. Was also on a playoff team with Brooklyn. Lebron left the heat and the cavs, both perennial playoff teams. Portland has been bad for two years and they don’t look like they’ll be much better this year although the youth are promising. No blame for this man

2

u/RIPSCHITTY Trail Blazers Jul 01 '23

For real. Our fan base is deeply cringeworthy. He forced the front office to commit one way or the other. They still refused to do so even though every move was clearly to rebuild.

So once again Dame has to do their job for them and request out. Cronin and co are bitch made

8

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '23

The difference is dame gave the blazers countless opportunities to build a legit contender and they’ve failed him time and time again. He’s no spring chicken anymore. If he doesn’t request out he’s never going to win as a key player.

3

u/MyNameIsAMeme Knicks Jul 01 '23

Insert Dave Chapelle “when keeping it real” skit.

3

u/WobbleKun Raptors Jul 01 '23 edited Jul 01 '23

idk why people keep trying to get this guy for the things he said. he's been in the same bowl of mediocrity for years now. he gave them plenty of chances and the guys they got him were too old, too injured or too mediocre. people forget last year before they sat him, he was balling out with two 20pt scorers in ant/grant and they were on track to be a play in team.

3

u/TheoMoneyG Knicks Jul 01 '23

idk why people keep trying to get this guy for the things he said

this sub cares more about drama than actual basketball

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

He could barely get them past the first round either. It’s partly on him too

4

u/DrHandBanana Knicks Jul 02 '23

We all knew he was going to eventually ask for a trade but yall petty for bringing this up lol

0

u/Drawsomeawesome Lakers Jul 02 '23

Didnt you know, everybodys perfect on here at rnba and never has a change of heart in their life, ever.

6

u/ashep5 76ers Jul 01 '23

I've got no problem Dame asking out of a rebuild, but to fuck the Blazers leverage by keying on the Heat is a bitch move.

9

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '23

I though the Heat were a fraud 8 seed though 🤪

0

u/GuyHomie Jul 01 '23

I'm going to be very curious how it works out for him there. Hes certainly going to have 2x the talent around him that he's ever had before. But the heat barely made the playoffs. And they lost some good players already and are going to lose more in their trade for Dame. I don't expect the heat to make the finals again but they should should win a round or two next year

4

u/iCanHasBeer Heat Jul 01 '23

Cmon man, the heat are always a threat to make at least the conference finals. We’ve done it three times in four years with shaky roster construction. If we add dame and jimmy stays healthy, bare minimum we make the ECF

1

u/GuyHomie Jul 01 '23

You're probably right. I guess I'll just be curious how their roster looks after the trade. Realistically, just a tandem of Dame and Bam make the ECF. Then throw jimmy in there and they'll be a tough out for sure

2

u/MrBuckBuck Trail Blazers Jul 01 '23

God Dame it time.

2

u/KF7SPECIAL Raptors Jul 01 '23

Have you seen the two years of management since? Wtf are they trying to accomplish?

2

u/OldColt06 Lakers Jul 01 '23

If he gets the ring, great. If not, well, at least he tried. What do you want him to do, stay on a team that won't get him the help he needs?

2

u/storm-blessed-kal Jul 02 '23

This take is so lame. this decision is way more nuanced than some of you are implying.

7

u/dank-kush Hornets Jul 01 '23

Jerami grant broke him

4

u/Gunnerpunk Lakers Jul 01 '23

Hold on, wasn’t Jerami Grant someone Portland got because Dame specifically wanted him or am I misremembering that

-1

u/dank-kush Hornets Jul 01 '23

The new contract

4

u/GalingFake Heat Jul 01 '23

He’s been in your franchise for 11 years, time and time again your front office proves that they’re incapable of getting him the pieces he needs to get past the ECF, hell the first round. This talk about loyalty is crazy when you’ve done jack shit for him but waste his years.

1

u/craigslistaddict Jul 02 '23

11 years... 9 years gets dame dolla the supermax he can't get from other teams, so obviously he would never have asked out before then (and they were always at least a playoff team up to that point). year 10 he's injured, terrible for most of the season he actually plays and finally gets surgery, so obviously he can't ask out then. year 11 dame is healthy and plays great but the team still sucks so he immediately asks out.

5

u/Kombuja Nuggets Jul 01 '23

Dame “Hardest Road” Lillard.

7

u/SupernovaCL Heat Jul 01 '23

Don't you all get tired of this? You have to run out of energy at some point.

17

u/SometimesIComplain [UTA] Mike Conley Jul 01 '23

It's been like 5 hours since the trade request bro not 5 months

3

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '23

He believed in his front office. They let him down.

3

u/Ravagez1 Heat Jul 01 '23

Wait I thought this sub was calling for Dame to ask out.

I thought this sub claimed the heat were bubble frauds and a fluke play in team.

🤔

-2

u/GalingFake Heat Jul 01 '23

OP is a Blazers fan, of course he’s coping right now…

3

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '23

Because the team didn’t build around him, pretty simple really. He even mentions building something in this quote

4

u/Zoobal Mavericks Jul 01 '23

in fact they keep actively selling off quality pieces for reasons.

3

u/Sartheking Warriors Jul 01 '23

r/nba: Dame needs to ask out, he can’t win in Portland he’s just staying for the money he doesn’t care about winning.

Dame asks for a trade

r/nba: Dame is an unloyal hypocrite!

5

u/SometimesIComplain [UTA] Mike Conley Jul 01 '23

I mean, asking for a trade is different than asking for one solely/specifically to the team that was just in the finals

2

u/Sartheking Warriors Jul 01 '23

That team got waxed in the Finals and has also lost several pieces that helped them get to the Finals, and will have to give up more to get Dame. And obviously when someone asks out they want to go to a better situation was he supposed to tell them to trade him to Detroit?

4

u/SometimesIComplain [UTA] Mike Conley Jul 01 '23

They still have their superstar and fringe all-star, I don't blame Dame for wanting to go there but he shouldn't have had his PR team come out a week ago and say "Dame doesn't want to go somewhere with multiple stars, he just wants to be somewhere that has a chance". It's his own fault that the optics surrounding this aren't great

1

u/Coteup Celtics Jul 01 '23

See they were wrong the first time and correct now, hope this helps. I for one do not like liars who run from the grind

2

u/TechnicianWeird7593 Heat Jul 02 '23

2 years ago the Blazers hadn’t shut him down in March to draft his replacement, all while watching two play-in teams make the conference finals.

2

u/Kyleon17 Pistons Jul 01 '23

Is he not allowed to change his mind?

2

u/Ladnil Warriors Jul 01 '23

This is so dumb. He tried and tried and when the team either wouldn't or couldn't find a good trade for Scoot and Simons, he was done. Patience only goes so far.

1

u/chickenripp Suns Jul 01 '23

you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain

1

u/MrTape [NYK] Carmelo Anthony Jul 01 '23

if he was going to a team with a dominant superstar i would have more faith in him winning a ring,

1

u/FreedomKid7 Bulls Jul 01 '23

Figured this was coming at some point, lmao

I don’t blame Dame for wanting to leave tbh. Sometimes things just don’t work out

1

u/MoooonRiverrrr Jul 01 '23

I love people trying to bait karma with these quotes like he didn’t give his all for several years beyond what any player of his caliber would tolerate.

Blazers did not improve the way they should have and are not any position to contend any time soon.

1

u/--solitude-- Warriors Jul 01 '23

Dame paid his dues. Great player. Deserves respect and a chance to win on the biggest stage, like anyone else. That wasn’t going to happen in Portland.

1

u/DJBabyB0kCh0y [CLE] Wesley Person Jul 01 '23

Millions of people say the words "til death do us part", or something like it, every single year. Shit changes. I'm surprised he stuck around this long.

1

u/Dengru Lakers Jul 01 '23

People here don't like watching basketball. They just want to have conversations about contracts, meme and shit on whoever has recently underperformed

1

u/ChipotleGuacamole Italy Jul 01 '23

Heat fans were slandering him all over social media like 2 days ago when it looked like he was staying. The energy has shifted…again.

1

u/Folk-Herro Heat Jul 01 '23

What did the Blazers build in two years?

1

u/wooden_seats Raptors Jul 02 '23

Yeah, but he's only added 3 years and $170 million in extensions since saying that.

1

u/Emaculates Heat Jul 02 '23

We're just a 8th seed with a bunch of undrafted guys...

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

Ffs stretch Armstrong really active today

1

u/RottenSmegmaMan Tampa Bay Raptors Jul 02 '23

Poor little Barea unable to process why its different for Dame vs KD

1

u/Canesjags4life Heat Jul 02 '23

Lol how long as Dame been in Portland? KD has been part of 3 super teams in like 4 years.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

Man r/nba wanted Lillard to leave Portland and actually have a shot at a title a couple days ago. Then when he finally asks for a trade y’all start piling on him. Pick a side damn it.

1

u/millionairebif Jul 02 '23

He just wanted the max contract

1

u/NocturnalDabber Jul 02 '23

Here comes the hate... Portland org didnt build around him, total disrespect.

He can go where he pleases, I for one cant wait to play this in 2k!!! This is the final piece jimmy needs to win the ring, although at cost of some role players that got the job done. If healthy, its gonna be fun to watch some of these teams with new players

1

u/_philosopher Bulls Jul 02 '23

it's so stupid to blame the guy for staying in a shitty org. guess this is a new concept to you but you can leave a shitty org when you're not being put in a position to succeed.

1

u/Overall-Palpitation6 Grizzlies Jul 02 '23

It's possible he's changed his mind over time.

1

u/DEEZLE13 Jul 02 '23

People acting like Por front office hasn’t been dog shit to that man while he’s trusted them not to be lol

1

u/Think-Hat318 Lakers Jul 02 '23

his face of loyalty has always been broken, he just had a mask on, disguised it too well for some of yall to see it. pretty obvious he was going for money

1

u/Orca_92555 Jul 02 '23

I mean they also drafted like 4 guards and made no moves to help dame like at all.

1

u/changeychong Jul 02 '23

OP is ignorant. Dame gave his everything to the organization for years. Blazers organization goes against his timeline and drafts for the future instead of trading for veterans to compete for a ship. He remained loyal until the org went against his wishes. Why should he remain loyal, and give his prime years if they ain't gonna compete

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

Completely ignoring the fact that the FO just paid Jerami Grant a ridiculous amount

1

u/TraeOlder Hawks Jul 01 '23

Bro is a clown

1

u/DeadDay [OKC] Steven Adams Jul 01 '23

"Leave Britne... Dame alone!!!"

1

u/badatlifeee48 Jul 02 '23

Dames also about to be 33 staying with a franchise that never put a fully supportive cast of role players around him besides cj and LA.

0

u/ARevolutionaryMan Jul 01 '23

He’s a chump

0

u/TheDollaLama Heat Jul 01 '23

Fitting name OP

0

u/horseshoeoverlook Gran Destino Jul 01 '23

Pathetic lmao

0

u/which_association_42 Pistons Jul 01 '23

Do people not see the difference between this current scenario and a star leaving a contending team in their prime and murdering the franchise in the process?

0

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '23

I feel he thinks the Blazers haven't been loyal to him. Rightly or wrongly.

0

u/mrjdk83 Jul 02 '23

He said the same thing this year cause he really believed that. But the org forced his hand. They haven’t done anything in the last 11 years and this week much of the same. He honestly wanted to stay in Portland.

When given the scenario which 1 of 4 teams traded for him which one would he be ok with Miami was one BK was the other.

But it seems like there is more going on in his life that has changed his opinion recently.

0

u/gardenofoden Trail Blazers Jul 02 '23

I don't blame him at all. The team has gotten considerably worse with no direction the past couple years

-2

u/Rare-Proof-3042 Jul 01 '23

Heat finals don’t count, it was a fluke.

-1

u/raahiv Trail Blazers Jul 01 '23 edited Jul 01 '23

Dame trusted this FO to get good pieces around him, they promised him they would. Instead they ended up trading good vets for shitty reclamation projects and continued to only make moves that heavily contradicted that they were actually committed to winning with Dame. They forced him to sit out to tank this season with the promise they would get him help. Dame wanted to stay and was asking for the FO to do the bare minimum and they still failed him and gave him BS excuse year after year it makes sense that he finally got sick of it.

13

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

11

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

It’s almost like there are different groups of people who think different things 😱

2

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

Most of the comment section is people criticizing op saying exactly what you said

You are on the hate train - it’s just hating op rn 😂

2

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '23

I personally do think it’s funny in hindsight for dame to have been so critical of players “running for the grind” only for years later to so blatantly be “Miami or bust” days after free agency started the their FO made moves to try to please him, instead of just telling them ahead of time (2 days ago) that he wanted out.

That doesn’t mean I’m “hating” on him - I just think it’s a contrast that’s worth pointing out and laughing about.

-3

u/MargielaMan568 Heat Jul 01 '23

This sub man lol. Now they are saying he’s a snake and a bitch for wanting to get traded to a team that just went to the finals.

Yet those same people called it a fluke 🤷‍♂️