It also means what is being said about Lillard is real...
They may be true, but the slant/bias of the article is disingenuous.
Lillard wants a two-year, $107 million extension in July, and he and his agent need the next general manager to sell ownership on the idea. <-- Implies Dame
just cares that the new GM will approve his extension. Instead of Dame wants to get the extension because it's a lot of money.
In the past year, Lillard and his camp have been thwarted on leverage plays -- Jason Kidd as coach, trading
CJ McCollum and four first-round picks for
Ben Simmons. <-- Kidd was a
powerplay against the org, instead of just a suggestion by Dame. By all accounts he's happy with Chauncey.
Dame pushed for trading CJ, instead of Dame was okay with the price of Simmons if the FO was okay with the price.
With four seasons -- including an opt-out -- left on his deal, Lillard had no leverage to choose his next team this past summer. If he had asked out, he would have gone where Portland could get the best package of young players, draft picks and salary-cap relief. Asking for
New York and
Philadelphia makes for dramatic storylines, but the multiple years on his deal would have emboldened several small and non-destination markets to engage with Portland's steep asking price. <-- Implies Dame wanted out, just couldn't ask for it because of his contract status. But that contradicts the supermax narrative. Why would he want an extension if he wants to get traded?