Damian Lillard presumed transfer rumours featuring New York Knicks would come true in 2018

Drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2012, Damian Lillard is already considered a Trail Blazers legend by fans. The point guard last signed on a $196 million, 4-year supermax extension with the team and could apparently play in Portland for his entire NBA career. However, Lillard recently revealed that he was once probably headed to New York. 

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Damian Lillard to Knicks: Was Lillard going to be traded?

During his recent interview with Vanity Fair, Damian Lillard revealed that a few years ago, he heard trade rumours and thought he was headed to the New York Knicks. The interviewer was a Knicks fan and said he wanted Lillard would come there as the Madison Square Garden was 'so great'. Lillard replied by saying that he had heard rumours and thought he was headed there. The 29-year-old guard also added that Madison Square Garden was his favourite place to play. 

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As per reports, a Stephen A Smith's 2018 statement was the first source of Lillard's trade rumours to the Knicks. While on the show, Smith stated that there are 'people in Damian Lillard's camp and on his side looking for him to leave'. He further added that he might leave the 'financially beneficial confines' of the Trail Blazers only for the Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Knicks. Smith even explained that his sources told him it was the Lakers he was interested in and not the Knicks. Smith's comments came few months after Lillard and the Trail Blazers were eliminated from the first round of the 2018 playoffs while playing against the New Orleans Pelicans. 

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Where did the Damian Lillard to Knicks rumours come from?

Damian Lillard contract: Were the Damian Lillard to Knicks rumours true?

In November 2018, Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus stated that Lillard apparently had an 'understanding with the team's late owner, Paul Allen, that if a time came when the guard wanted out, the franchise would try to facilitate a move to his liking'. However, he added that Lillard had not made the request and the verbal agreement might not hold. Rumours about Lillard's traded came to an end after the point-guard signed the $196 million extension in June 2019, which will kick-off after the 2021-22 season and ensure that Lillard will remain with the team till he turns thirty-four. 

Which two teams does Damian Lillard see himself playing for?

(@stephenasmith) pic.twitter.com/dFlwpyOB5Q

— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) July 5, 2018

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This season, Lillard was averaging 28.9 points, 7.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds before the season was suspended on March 11. The Trail Blazers were ranked ninth on the Western Conference and would face the Los Angeles Lakers for the playoffs in the first round if they move up to the eighth rank. During the interview, Lillard stated that he wants to play the Lakers and thinks their team could beat them. 

(Source: NBA official site)