After saying earlier this week that he wants the Trail Blazers to pursue veteran additions during the offseason, Damian Lillard doubled down on those comments on Wednesday in an appearance on “Stephen A’s World” (Twitter video link). Following two straight years of losing marked by late-season tanking, Lillard said the organization understands how important it is for him to part of a contending team.
Lillard clarified that his statement shouldn’t be interpreted as a threat and indicated that he won’t demand a trade if personnel moves don’t turn out the way he hopes. However, he wants Portland’s management to make a firm decision on whether it plans to compete right away or try to rebuild.
“I ain’t gonna say I’m putting them on the clock,” Lillard told Stephen A. Smith.” I’m just saying if those things can’t be done — if we can’t do something significant like that — then we won’t have a chance to compete on that level. And then, not only will I have a decision to make, but I think the organization will, too. Because at that point, it’s like, ‘Are you gonna go young, or are we gonna get something done?’ I think we just kinda been on the fence with fully committing to either one. I just think we at that point now where everybody wants to win. They believe I deserve that opportunity.”
There’s more on the Trail Blazers:
- The Knicks, Nets, Heat, Warriors and Clippers are the teams most likely to pursue Lillard if he becomes available, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy. General managers throughout the league don’t expect the Blazers to consider trading Lillard unless he requests it, but he could throw the league into a frenzy if that happens. “They’re not just going to ship him out to get rid of him,” an NBA executive told Deveney. “He has shown them loyalty and they’re going to do the same. But more and more, there is a bigger chance he will ask out. He could very well be the focal point of all talk in the next couple months.”
- Jusuf Nurkic prefers to stay in Portland, but his contract could be a useful piece for salary matching in the type of trade that Lillard wants, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. The veteran center still has three seasons remaining on the four-year, $70MM deal he signed last summer. “As long as I’m wanted, if people want me here, I’m going to be here,” Nurkic said. “I’m not going to ask for a trade to try to go somewhere else.”
- Nassir Little underwent surgery on Thursday for a right-side core muscle injury, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release. Little was limited to 54 games this season and has been sidelined since March 31.
I don’t see Portland being able to cobble together a contender in the off-season.
I think this is the season Portland trades Lillard, maybe Nurkic too. Lillard is asking for it.
Grant will have no reason to re-sign. Maybe Portland squeezes an asset out of him in a sign & trade.
You need new glasses
New glasses? His take was spot on
Perhaps they would’ve made playoffs if DL hadn’t taken so many “load management” days. You owe me $200 Lillard! But good thing you got your rest to watch playoffs on TV. 50M a year and can’t even work 82 days. Joke.
I bet DL has worked more days this year than you have.
they’re jump at slim chance of 10.5.
I’m sure you would take 50 million if someone let you work 60 days a year, stop blaming athletes for your missed bets, it’s your terrible choice in making that specific bet, duh
Playing 60 games is not the same as working 60 days? When do you think they practice and workout? Film shoots, league business…there is more to the job than the 2 hours you watch on TV
He is making about $1 million per game if you just look at the games he actually plays in.
Has he made $1M per game his entire career though? You dont have an argument otherwise.
Dame on the Warriors would be nuts just not sure how it works moneywise. Jordan Poole and…Wiseman? Lol. W Kuminga and some picks? Prob not gonna happen but dang.
There is no chance that’s happening. Dame and Steph do not fit together defensively.
Only way Dame comes if Poole gets traded and they also dump either Klay (trade) or Dray (leaves)
Steph is better at defense than he gets credit for
Wiseman? He plays for Detroit. Is it a 3 teamer?
I don’t think there is a player or package they could reasonably acquire that would make them contenders. They probably should have tore it down 2-3 years ago.
agree. it was faster to rebuild with 2021 Mobley, 2022 Sharp.
First off, any meaningful trade will require a 3rd party plus trade exceptions AND an owner willing to go deep in the luxury tax. Either you believe this franchise is up to it, or you don’t. That is a belief system… so I fall on the side of yes, they’ll be willing to go for it if there is a possibility to make a profit ( ie. Win a championship).
So, that said, Nurk and Anfernee Simons are at 20m a year, so I think they are going to use those salaries to get bigger and upgrade the defence in the back court and trade draft picks, and other young guys (with a 3rd team) to pick up Vucevic, KAT, Randle, a guy like that in the front court.
Then they can pick up solid vets like Kevin Love, JaVale McGee, Caris Lavert, and all those guys out there that flock to the next potential winner.
Heat and Clippers don’t have enough assets to acquire Lillard.
Neither team has no 4 future Firsts
Dame’s contract is huge that finding an equivalent trade is impossible.
And if any team can match his salary it will be almost impossible to keep a championship caliber contender because of the amount of pieces would be needed to match. I bet he will never reach a conference finals again.
yes. so I think Dame should stay in Portland. traded, he lost patience and washed. please stay.
Lillard’s trade value is about the same as Durant.
Bridges, Johnson, Crowder and 4 Firsts
Bridges and Johnson are young
Knicks can easily defeat Heat and Clippers offers
Thunder has plenty enough to get Dame, and likely will, as the Thunder and Dame continue to get cooked in the playoffs vs Steph.
After the GPII fiasco, I guarantee Portland would not trade Dame to GS.
After this run, the Warriors would like to get younger not older. No way Damian Lillard’s 50 million is coming to the Bay Area. That’s a false assumption just because Lillard is from Oakland. He’d be more likely to get traded to a smaller Market that doesn’t attract free agents and is looking for star power to market. Sort of like the Blazers lol.
The only way Dame works on GSW is if Steph isn’t there. I agree, Dame will likely go to the Thunder if anyone.
Dame is, has, and will always be dollar store Steph. “We have Steph Curry at home”. Both players will never play together.
Pretty rude
I have about 4 teams, with 2 on the fringe that would take Lillard in a heart-beat. 2 are very large market teams, 1 has assets.
The fence? No. In the last three transaction periods, they’ve added one piece that can be called an upgrade, Grant, and he comes with a stipulation that he needs to be re-signed. Their other moves in those 15 months had little to no possibility of upgrading the product on the court, and in most cases were inevitably going to downgrade it. Even their lottery pick was used on the longest lead prospect at the top of the draft.
Dame can believe what he wants, or pretend to, but POR’s transactions over the past 15 months are not those of a team on the fence, but those of a team clearly on the rebuild side of it, save wanting to keep their headliner.
Back to UTAH
They could have had a decent vet roster but they went young
Why on earth would this writer put the Warriors on this list? Dame has said he refuses to play on the same team as Curry, and despite the obvious bias from the writer on some hope and cope, Curry is never leaving GSW, and neither is anyone who is on long term deals. The core is staying together and always will. Wiseman will never be part of a Kerr core team, he hates bigs who aren’t Looney, so he was never part of the core. Kuminga, Moody, Baldwin and Poole are part of the core no matter what anyone thinks.
Only trade GSW would ever do is Wiggins for KD straight up. If that’s “not happening” (bad take, it totally can if the teams want it), then all the key GSW core are staying.
We don’t want him we don’t need him. He will be 33 in July. I’d rather go after a younger star. I’d rather just sign Grant, if we could.