Following the NBA Draft lottery, the Portland Trail Blazers find themselves with the third overall pick. As expected, reports quickly came out after that the team plans to use that pick in a trade for a win-now package.
Once these reports came out, fans took a different approach than expected. Instead of trading the pick to compete now, they feel the team should instead trade Damian Lillard and embrace a rebuild.
In what’s considered to be a loaded draft class, Portland could walk away with a good prospect. Recent mock drafts currently have them picking Scoot Henderson from the G-League.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
After tweets kept circling about trading Lillard, the All-Star guard finally chimed in. He clapped back at them by staying they should start a petition if they want him gone.
Throughout his career, Lillard has been one of the most loyal stars in the NBA. In an era where high-level talent is constantly on the move, he’s double-down on sticking with the team that drafted him. His main goal remains bringing home a championship to the city of Portland.
Following these recent events, it will be interesting to see if Lillard has a change of heart. If the fans continue to turn on him, there won’t be much stopping him from requesting a trade. People around the NBA have begged for him to ask out, and this has the potential to be the final straw.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Damian Lillard & Portland Trail Blazers Updates
Despite what the fans want, the organization has remained committed to putting a competitive roster around Lillard. They’ve made an array of moves in recent years, but it hasn’t garnered the type of results they wanted.
If a suitable deal doesn’t come about for the third overall pick, Portland just might be forced to finally begin considering moving on from their franchise cornerstone.
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