"If I get Dame trade news one more time" - NBA fans seem to be fed up with the 'Damian Lillard to Heat' rumors

Rumors regarding Damian Lillard's free agency have continued to increase each day as the league is in its offseason. Now that the 2023 NBA draft is over, teams around the league can focus more on assessing available talents for acquisition who can improve the team.

Damian Lillard's name, even during the previous season, has been part of trade rumors and discussions as fans and the media have speculated where he might end up next season.

As The Athletic's Sam Amick has reported that the Trail Blazers star continues to have interest in banding together with Heat's Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, NBA fans had an interesting reaction to the update.

The update from Sam Amick was also tweeted out by @NBACentral, resulting in a number of fans voicing their frustration with the Damian Lillard updates. The fans mentioned that they keep on hearing Lillard decides one day he wants to stay and then considers being traded the next day.

During the draft, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Scoot Henderson as the third pick. The 6-foot-2 guard from the G League Ignite team is viewed with tremendous upside and versatility at the guard position.

It is still not clear whether Portland decides to include Henderson in a trade package in exchange for pieces to surround Damian Lillard with. There are also some speculations circulating around that if Lillard decides to leave, Henderson would instantly become the face of the franchise.

The Trail Blazers can also keep both Lillard and Scoot Henderson, as the rookie has an NBA-ready skillset that can complement Lillard well.

As the offseason continues to go on, free agency updates will continue to be rampant as teams around the league continue to make moves.

Stephen A. Smith thinks Damian Lillard should take his talents somewhere else

After seasons with disappointing finishes and Portland continuing to struggle in building a proper team around Lillard, starting fresh makes sense for both sides.

During the 2022-23 regular season, Lillard averaged 32.2 points per game (46.3% shooting, including 37.1% from 3-point range) and 7.3 assists.

In a segment on ESPN's "First Take," Stephen A. Smith didn't mince words when it was regarding how he felt about Lillard's future in Portland.

“I have been begging Damian Lillard to get the hell out of Portland,” Smith said. “You’re not winning there. You’re not getting any free agents to come there. It’s just not going to happen.”

The Portland Trail Blazers (33-49) finished 13th in the Western Conference in the 2022-23 season. The Trail Blazers started the season with 10 wins and four losses, but followed it up with one rough stretch after another. Portland struggled to recover from then on.