Damian Lillard – Portland Trail Blazers
For months now, Damian Lillard has constantly had to deny trade rumors that involve him and reports saying that he is going to request a trade out of Portland and yesterday was no different.
Ahead of his team’s game against the Golden State Warriors, Lillard was asked about the recent rumors about him possibly being traded and he made his message as clear as it could be.
“I am not asking for a trade… I do not know how many times I have to say it,” Lillard told reporters on Wednesday. “I am working with these people every day to try and find solutions, so why would I be a part of trying to find solutions if I am planning on an exit?”
Dating back to this past offseason, there has been a lot of speculation that this could be the final season we see Lillard in a Trail Blazers jersey and the reasoning for this definitely makes sense.
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He is now 31-years-old and Portland has seen their organization change for the worse over the last few years.
Terry Stotts, who Lillard had a very strong relationship with, was relieved of his coaching duties after last season and the organization replaced him with Chauncey Billups, who was not Dame’s first-choice to be head coach. Then more recently, the Blazers got rid of GM Neil Olshey due to investigations into workplace misconduct.
The Portland Trail Blazers are falling apart right now both on and off-the-court, which is why rumors about Lillard and McCollum continue to fly off the shelves. However, if Damian Lillard is saying he is not going to leave, we have to believe him.
He is the face of the Trail Blazers franchise and if there is anything we know about Lillard, it is that he is not just going to give up on his team. Being one of the best leaders in the NBA, Dame is going to try to help this team any way he can, and hopefully, the front office will support him by getting him the talent he needs to win games right now.
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Portland will absolutely be making some trades ahead of the trade deadline in February, but we should not expect Damian Lillard to be going anywhere… at least until next offseason rolls around!
Prediction: Remains in Portland
