@@National Basketball Association

[Holdahl] “We’re going to be patient, we’re going to do what’s best for our team…. And if it takes months, it takes months.” — Joe Cronin

  • July 10, 2023


[Holdahl] “We’re going to be patient, we’re going to do what’s best for our team…. And if it takes months, it takes months.” — Joe Cronin

28 comments

  2. Makes perfect sense, do what’s best for the team and don’t rush to get something done. Dame is still under contract for the next 4 years.

  7. Lillard acting like he has a no trade clause with four years left and only one team on a wishlist is almost as funny as the gobert trade.

  8. Yep. Portland has the luxury of not caring when it does a trade. Those draft picks will still be there in January, and Miami will want Dame sooner rather than later.

  9. I think he’s not about to change his stance anytime soon but I feel like at this point if I’m Cronin, I’d sit in a room with Dame and have to respectfully but bluntly ask something along the lines of “so do you truly only desire a trade to Miami and nowhere else is acceptable? To the point that if there’s no deal we like that has you going to Miami, that you are essentially saying you’d rather be here than any other destination?” I think you could probably get somewhere with him just by having an honest conversation to see if this is all about getting out of Portland for a chance to win, or just to strong arm your way to Miami.

  11. Honestly, there’s just no reason for them not to drag this out. Portland has never been a destination city, so it’s not like they have to worry about taking a hit with star free agents. And the plan was to immediately pivot to a Scoot focused rebuild, so if anything if Dame sits out it makes it easier to focus on that.

    Miami’s best offer is really nothing for an All-NBA guy, eventually someone is going to make an offer that at least beats it.

  12. I wonder if how Morey handled the Ben Simmons trade request has affected how GMs handle trade requests going forward. Like I could have very easily seen Portland panicking and sending Lillard to Miami right off the bat, but between Lillard and the KD request last year, it seems like teams are more willing to get uncomfortable if it means getting the best return possible

  15. Will dame still want miami as badly if they are sucking in February because they made no moves and let their players walk… im guessing probably but itll be interesting

  16. Dame has 3 years left on his contract and the Blazers are under the tax line, the Blazers could wait years for the right offer if they wanted to, but realistically until the trade deadline mid-season.

    Miami and Dame have played every bit of leverage they’ve got left, but they have to get a fair package together or else the Blazers can just wait and see if Dame changes his mind or if another team wants to trade for him on a rental similar to the Kahwi situation.

    The clock is ticking for Miami faster than it is for the Blazers. Miami wants him on the team ASAP but especially before the season starts. The amount of fans I’ve seen think Dame asking to go to Miami was gonna make a Herro+Robinson+two 1sts work has just been crazy. Buckle up because this is gonna take a while.

  17. Ima need six first, two pick swaps and a young player that’s at least an 80 overall on 2k

  19. I don’t think there was any ever doubt Dame was gonna get his wish and end up in Miami. The question was and still is—when. Hard to even think about potential trades and a road map for what a deal could look like when Miami-Portland and Dame-Portland are barely in communication if at all.

    Miami is the one that wants Dame and Dame is the one that wants Miami. It should be encumbent upon them to find a way to come up with a deal palatable for Dame. Instead it seems some of the media, some fans—especially Miami fans and Miami media, and the Miami brass feel like Portland is obligated to trade Dame for basically whatever Miami puts on the table. In the name of “doing right” for Dame even though Dame intentionally sought to destroy any sliver of perceived leverage the Blazers would have.

    This is an ugly business and Cronin has had a front row seat to that reality over the last few weeks…few years really. This is an ugly business.

    Cronin has a silver bullet here—time. Dame isn’t going to see his value tank the longer a deal doesn’t get put together with Miami. He’s Dame. He has four years remaining on his contract. There’s absolutely nothing he can do beyond attempting to sabotage the Blazers and basically make them miserable enough to where they relent and take a below market deal with Miami, which seems to be the direction he and his representation has gone down. Cronin seems to be prepared and isn’t going to be bowed by pressure. It’ll be fascinating to see what happens if Dame remains a Blazer by training camp.

  22. Not sure why Damian made his stance on the Heat being the only team. It didn’t help him at all

  25. As he should. Portland is tanking one way or the other, picks matter the most to them and those stay the same for a whole year. Dame can continue making himself more hated, he has way more to lose than Portland. And he’s in the wrong anyways so I don’t feel bad at all. What a heel turn, glad Portland is making him pay.

  26. This should absolutely be Portland’s stance. They should not get bullied into a trade to Miami. The last thing they need another guard.

  27. Yeah, you’re gonna go full tanking anyways. Let him suffer, he has zero leverage. You know what I want him to sit out and do nothing, let the young guys play and develop

  28. As someone who went through this with Harden, it’s definitely better to just hold out if you are the Blazers.

    If we didn’t at all we would’ve ended up with a broken Ben Simmons and 2 FRPs to show for it.

    At worst, Dame will just burn more bridges with the fanbase and front office. But all of that doesn’t matter in the long run, not when you have Scoot.

Leave a Reply