There has been a lot of talks involving the Portland Trail Blazers and NBA All-Star Damian Lillard recently. A recent article from The Athletic took a deep dive into the organization following the firing of general manager and president of basketball operations, Neil Olshey.
Olshey was fired following an investigation into the workplace environment that he created and the findings were enough to have Olshey lose his job. With Olshey no longer in the front office, the roster could drastically change in the coming weeks.
Portland’s roster, as currently constructed, is not going to contend for a title. What direction that the organization takes will be tied to what happens with Lillard. Lillard wants the team to make significant changes to their roster, and if that doesn’t occur, he could finally request a trade.
Lillard would like to play with Ben Simmons, who is looking for a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. But, making big changes to the roster could be a challenge, especially if Lillard cashes in on a new extension.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard Growing ‘Frustrated’ With Trail Blazers’ Play
He is looking to break the bank with his next extension and would become the highest-paid player in the NBA should this extension be agreed to. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN gave some insight to the potential extension.
“Lillard wants a two-year, $107 million extension in July, and he and his agent need the next general manager to sell ownership on the idea. As much as anything, this cuts to the core of the Blazers’ search process. His desire for an extension into his advanced NBA years has turned into a battle for the franchise’s future, an existential threat to reshaping and redirecting the organization in a post-playoff reality.
The prospects of Portland extending Lillard, 31, beyond his $48.8 million in 2024-2025 to pay him $51 million at 35 years old and $55 million at 36 years old threatens to turn an asset of a contract into an albatross.”
Lillard is currently dealing with an abdominal injury and has been struggling with his shot this season. He is having the worst shooting season of his career and the Portland Trail Blazers are not any closer to a title now than they were when they made a head coaching change in the offseason.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard Growing ‘Frustrated’ With Trail Blazers’ Play
How those negotiations go could very well determine where Damian Lillard will be spending the latter part of his career. If the new front office is willing to sign him to an extension, he will remain in Portland for the long term. If they are unwilling to agree to that deal, then trade talks will certainly heat up involving Lillard.
