Damian Lillard refutes reports that Blazers drafting Scoot Henderson was ‘dealbreaker’ leading to trade request 

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard decided to clear things up regarding the news that drafting Scoot Henderson was one of the reasons he requested a trade. According to reports back then, Lillard didn't want the Blazers to draft the young prospect and preferred the pick to have been traded elsewhere.

There were reports heading into the NBA draft about how Lillard's future could be affected by the team's draft decision. Sources said that the seven-time All-Star wanted the team to use the third overall pick to trade for an established star. It was also reported that when the Blazers drafted Henderson, it pushed the star guard to request a trade.

In his appearance on the It Is What It Is show, Lillard cleared the air regarding the reports.

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"That wasn't a dealbreaker for me at all. I respect his game," Lillard said. "I think in that position, he was the best player available. That's what you do when you got the pick. But no, I wasn't offended at all."

This isn't the first time that Lillard has shared his compliments about the young guard. According to him, they've had conversations already after he was introduced by the Blazers following the draft. If Dame doesn't get a chance to leave Portland, he'll have a young backcourt co-star who's ready to help.

You might also be interested in reading his: “The most beautiful game in NBA history” – Damian Lillard puts Kyrie Irving ahead of Steph Curry on his list of most skilled players

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The Blazers are still looking for a favorable deal for Damian Lillard

Portland Trail Blazers v Chicago Bulls

Many are waiting for the situation with the Blazers and Damian Lillard to have some sort of movement. Recently, it was reported that the team wants to have the Miami Heat give up most of their assets in exchange for the star guard. Logically, that was a bad proposal and the Heat didn't do it.

Now, the Blazers have reportedly explored other options for Lillard's future. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski talked about Lillard's situation.

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"There has not been conversation really this summer, perhaps since July, with Portland and Miami," Woj said. "What Miami looks at essentially is we don’t believe you have something better than you know we can give you."

"And teams don’t just spend their time calling [and saying], ‘Let me offer you more, let me offer you more.’ That’s not a negotiation. There’s a lot of gamesmanship in how this goes."

"The goal isn’t to just get Damian Lillard. It’s to get Damian Lillard for as little as you have to give up to be able to still have the ability to put a team around Jimmy Butler, Lillard, Bam Adebayo in Miami."

With both teams not seeing eye-to-eye, there's a chance that it could take a while for the deal to take place.

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