Nobody could force Portland to make that trade if they do not want to, Dame was the one who accepted such a huge salary that he deserved but also a very long one. He is signed until 2026 or so I think, which means that when he was signing that deal, he knew that he would not be able to leave, and he had to accept it as a fact that Portland may not trade him at all. I feel like now him wanting out is not fair, they have paid him so much because they agreed on the money but also the term of the deal as well, maybe they would have offered less if he wanted a 1-2 year contract, who knows? Maybe they found it worthy because he agreed a long term deal and they made their decisions based on that? If he wants to leave, that's his right to want to leave, but if they want to keep him, then they have every right to not trade him.
Exactly. However, are they willing to accept what Lillard would offer knowing he is not 100% happy playing with the team? This is a team game, and Lillard is their superstar. What if his statistics drop? That would affect the future of the team, as they might not make it to the playoffs. So, I guess, although the Blazers might delay the inevitable, eventually they will trade Lillard to a team he desires. Miami will be eagerly waiting, as their current roster is still capable of reaching the Finals again.
I mean it's at the Blazers expense but letting players dictate what they want and when they want it after signing a deal is a bad precedence. This only encourages other stars to behave like this when you don't get what you want. If I was the Blazers I'd play this game of chicken. The flip side is they can flip Dame into a bunch of young pieces to go with Simmons, Sharpe and scoot and build for the future.