By all accounts, NBA superstar Damian Lillard seems intent on going down with his ship. His refusal to “run from the grind” is well-documented. He may be a Blazer for life. In this era of player movement, it’s either admirable or foolish, depending on who you ask.
Trade rumors persist. The Portland Trail Blazers have advanced to the Western Conference Finals exactly once in the time they’ve rostered Lillard. Some point to his longstanding backcourt pairing with CJ McCollum to blame. The undersized guards were certainly defensively limited as a group.
Others suggest that the roster construction around them was weak. There’s a case to be made there as well. Jusuf Nurkic is a quality NBA player, but he doesn’t profile as the third option on a bonafide NBA championship contender.
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It’s hard to point to any former Blazer during Lillard’s time with the organization who does.
Having strung together so many mediocre seasons, many feel that Lillard and the Blazers may be headed to divorce. After all, they can only try the same thing so many times before it meets the definition of insanity. It may be in the best interests of both parties to move on.
If either side comes to that decision, here are 3 teams that could form superteams by acquiring Damian Lillard.
