Damian Lillard’s future with the Portland Trail Blazers has been a hot topic for months. Lillard has not been shy about his desire to compete for a championship, and while he has made clear he wants to do that in Portland, the team’s on-court struggles and off-court turmoil have led to questions being asked about whether those two things are compatible.
As such, Lillard’s future in Rip City has been called into question, despite his repeated proclamations that he is not going to ask for a trade. The latest example of this came on Wednesday when Lillard was asked about potentially wanting a trade, and while he said that “any time that you’re desired is a compliment,” he once again expressed his desire to stick around.
Asked Dame Lillard this morning at Blazers shootaround how he felt about people rooting for organizational chaos within the Blazers organization in hopes that he will request a trade.
He also addressed trade rumors, fake stories, and more. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/3xwRPkkg0J
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) December 8, 2021
Dame remains adamant that he doesn't want to be traded from Portland and wants to be the part of the solution and winning. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/jtzFQoREAA
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) December 8, 2021
“I’ve been here for 10 years, and I’m trying to be a part of the solution,” Lillard told reporters. “We all here to do a job, we all here to try to win, and try to win big. I feel like that’s something that I’m here to do, and I’m just trying to be a part of the solution, I’m not trying to be a part of the gossip and part of the story, I just wanna be at peace and try to do my job to the best of my ability, and do the things that I care about, and that I’m passionate about, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Lillard said that he’s “at peace” about seeing his name pop up in trade rumors because he knows “the truth” about how things are going in Portland, and expressed his belief that his statements over the summer and the team’s tumultuous start of the campaign have led to the latest round of speculation.
“I’m not asking for a trade,” Lillard said. “I don’t know how many times I’ve gotta say it. It’s gotten to the point in this era that people can write stories and say things, and I heard this, and I heard that, and because of who they are, people take it as, like, this is credible, this is probably true. Me, on the other hand, I don’t feel like I have to defend myself against that and come out and challenge everything that people say until I’m asked about it, because I know the truth.”
The latest round of questions comes following a report that Lillard wants a $107 million extension from the Blazers this summer, which is apparently scaring away prospective general managers who would prefer to trade him, instead. In response to that, Lillard shared a tweet alleging the piece’s author, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and former Blazers executive Neil Olshey of working together to slander him.
