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NBA execs preparing for Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell & Zion Williamson to ask to leave respective teams

League execs are expecting superstar power to enable landscape-altering moves pretty soon.

It’s been reported that multiple NBA executives are preparing for Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, and Zion Williamson to follow in the footsteps of the likes of James Harden and Ben Simmons.

While league Commissioner Adam Silver has said he would prefer it if all players honor their deals, he has admitted there’s nothing he could do about trade demands. As such, it is believed that the aforementioned trio will be among the next group of players to force moves, per Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated.

Lillard is owed $137 million and has three years left on his deal with the Portland Trail Blazers yet the team has set an overhaul in motion, having traded C.J. McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans. The point guard has been loyal to Portland so far, however, it’s understood that he might look to go elsewhere if he feels like he can’t compete for a title with the Blazers.

CJ McCollum Damian Lillard
Photo: Sam Forencich/Getty Images

Zion, meanwhile, is eligible for an extension from the Pelicans this year. The former Duke star is recovering from a foot operation and hasn’t played a single game this season. Reports claim that Williamson, who has only suited up 85 times over the course of a three-year span, has become disenchanted in New Orleans and would be keen on joining another team.

On the other hand, Mitchell has refuted multiple claims of his being unhappy playing for the Utah Jazz, as well as alongside Rudy Gobert, and is probably the most unlikely of the three to force a move, especially given the fact that he’s only one year into a five-year deal signed to the tune of $163 million.

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