Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard Progressing In Abdominal Surgery Rehab

February 27th, 2022 at 5:05pm CST by JD Shaw

Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has progressed through the initial phase of his abdominal surgery rehab without a setback, the team announced today.

Lillard, a five-time All-Star, underwent surgery on January 13 and hasn’t played since. He will begin reconditioning next week and will be reevaluated again in two-to-three weeks.

Lillard has appeared in 29 games this season, averaging 24.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists per contest on a career-low 40% shooting.

Portland has re-shaped its roster in recent weeks, trading away key pieces such as CJ McCollum, Norman Powell and Robert Covington. The team holds a 5-4 record in February and currently sits 10th in the Western Conference standings.

Rival teams have monitored Lillard’s status with the Blazers, who haven’t reached the NBA Finals once in his 10 years with the team. Despite a disappointing season, he recently reiterated his commitment to the team (as relayed by Adam Caparell of Complex Sports).

“I’m loyal to what I believe,” Lillard said. “I do love living in Portland. I do love playing for the Trail Blazers. But I’ve built this. I’ve been part of this for 10 years. I’ve been part of the change here and us being a successful franchise. I know what means something to me in my heart. And that’s winning a championship here.”

Western Notes: Lillard, Blazers, Kings, Lakers, Micić

February 25th, 2022 at 7:37am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on Draymond Green‘s podcast, Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard expressed some enthusiasm about the team’s direction, singling out teammates Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little, Jusuf Nurkic, and Josh Hart, and suggesting Portland has “got some pieces to the puzzle” and just needs to keep adding to those pieces.

As Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com relays, Lillard also pushed back against the idea that Portland can’t be an appealing free agent destination, arguing that if the Blazers have a chance to seriously contend, they’ll attract talent.

“No offense, but people (are) going to Oklahoma City, people going to Milwaukee, you know what I mean?” Lillard said. “People are going places and Portland ain’t what people think it is, otherwise I wouldn’t have been living here this long. If you just couldn’t live here, I wouldn’t be living here this long.

“I think that’s part of it, but at the end of the day, people are going places that’s like ‘You went there?’ (Carmelo Anthony) went to OKC when we was trying to get ‘Melo to come here. Ask ‘Melo where he would go first. And I’ll say this: not just because of the living situation.”

Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:

The Kings‘ trade deadline shake-up create a more positive vibe around the organization, point guard De’Aaron Fox said this week, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “I think the mood is definitely a bit better,” Fox said. “It’s definitely different when guys come into new situations, guys coming from Indiana, guys coming from Detroit and Donte [DiVincenzo] coming from Milwaukee … it’s like a breath of fresh air when you have a change of scenery.”
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel shared a series of injury-related updates on Thursday, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Most notably, Kendrick Nunn (knee) has begun his ramp-up process again following a setback last month, Anthony Davis (foot) is off his crutches, and Carmelo Anthony (hamstring) is probable to return on Friday after missing the team’s last five games.
Speaking to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com, veteran international agent Misko Raznatovic expressed dissatisfaction with the rules governing draft-and-stash players like his client Vasilije Micić, whose NBA rights are held by the Thunder. “One team gets your rights and then, (even if) you’re the best player in Europe, they don’t want to trade you and they don’t want to give you (a fair contract) offer,” Raznatovic said. “And then you never play in the NBA, (even if) you’re better than 80% of the guys who are there. I don’t believe this is fair.” Raznatovic did note that Micić has an annual NBA escape clause in his contract with Anadolu Efes, so he’ll talk to the Thunder again this summer to see if they can work something out.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Beverley, Lillard, Sneed

February 22nd, 2022 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

Back in 2017, Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Zach LaVine were in the early stages of their respective careers with the Timberwolves and had picked out a neighborhood where they’d all have homes within walking distance of one another, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

“I remember us all talking about getting houses in the same cul-de-sac so we could be locked in every single day with each other and make that camaraderie and unity that we needed to win a championship,” Towns told Krawczynski.

The trio’s plan to turn the Timberwolves into a contender together was derailed when LaVine was traded to Chicago and Wiggins was later sent to Golden State, but Towns, Wiggins, and LaVine were reunited at this weekend’s All-Star Game in Cleveland, each representing a different team.

As Krawczynski relays, former Minnesota coach Ryan Saunders said his father – the late Flip Saunders, who built that Wolves roster – would have been “so proud” to see all three players make the All-Star team, even if they were no longer teammates in Minnesota.

“It was just really cool to see us all on that stage and where we came from, being together on the same team and us all leaving and figuring out our own way,” LaVine said. “Everything happens for a reason.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

John Hollinger of The Athletic takes a look at the Timberwolves‘ decision to sign Patrick Beverley to a one-year, $13MM contract extension, noting that the team will be over the cap and under the tax line this offseason and didn’t really sacrifice any flexibility to extend Beverley. Minnesota remains in good position to potentially use cap room in 2022/23, Hollinger adds.
Speaking to Adam Caparell of Complex Sports, Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard reiterated that, despite a disappointing season, he remains committed to the franchise for the foreseeable future. “I’m loyal to what I believe,” Lillard said. “I do love living in Portland. I do love playing for the Trail Blazers. But I’ve built this. I’ve been part of this for 10 years. I’ve been part of the change here and us being a successful franchise. I know what means something to me in my heart. And that’s winning a championship here.”
Xavier Sneed‘s new two-way contract with the Jazz is a two-year agreement, covering 2022/23 in addition to the rest of this season, Hoops Rumors has learned. That doesn’t guarantee that Sneed will remain with the team next season, but it gives Utah the option to hang onto him without needing to sign him to a new deal.

Knicks Remain Interested In Trading For Damian Lillard

February 12th, 2022 at 8:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks are continuing to monitor Damian Lillard‘s situation in Portland, but he’s less interested in coming to New York than he was a year ago, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post.

The Trail Blazers plan to rebuild their roster around Lillard and turned away several teams that wanted to discuss trading for him before this week’s deadline. However, the Knicks want to be ready if something changes in Portland and Lillard does become available this summer.

New York continues to have a need at point guard, as the offseason addition of Kemba Walker hasn’t worked out. Berman states that the team tried to make deals this week involving Cam Reddish, Alec Burks and Evan Fournier, but weren’t able to move any of them.

Berman adds that the Knicks also tried to get CJ McCollum, Lillard’s longtime backcourt partner in Portland, but were outbid by the Pelicans. Although New York has all its future first-round picks and a few extra second-rounders, many of its other assets have been devalued because of a down season, Berman notes, adding that many people around the league are wondering if the franchise has enough available to make a serious offer for Lillard.

“If they’re going to be in the hunt for Lillard, they’d have to have a good lottery pick this year,’’ an unidentified NBA executive said. “Because they’d have to give up RJ Barrett. I don’t see how they get him otherwise.’’

Lillard, who would likely have influence with the Portland front office to send him to a desired location if he does request a trade, has lost some interest in joining the Knicks, according to Berman’s source. After being the fourth seed in the East last season, New York has fallen to 12th place at 25-32.

Another source tells Berman that the Knicks’ chances of trading for Lillard would have been helped by signing DeMar DeRozan, Lillard’s close friend, rather than Fournier in last year’s free agent market. General manager Scott Perry wanted to consider DeRozan, according to the source, but the idea was vetoed by William Wesley, who has become the top decision maker in the front office.

Lillard hasn’t played since undergoing abdominal surgery in mid-January and isn’t expected to return this season. He has three seasons remaining on his four-year, $196MM contract.

Blazers Notes: Lillard, McCollum, Bledsoe, Free Agents, Luxury Tax, Cronin

February 10th, 2022 at 10:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Damian Lillard is unlikely to play again this season as he recovers from abdominal surgery, Sean Highkin of the Bleacher Report tweets.

As Highkin relays, Trail Blazers interim general manager Joe Cronin indicated there’s little reason for Lillard to suit up for the retooling club, even though his recovery is going well. If that’s the case, Lillard’s season ended on New Year’s Eve. He appeared in 29 games this season, averaging 24.0 PPG and 7.3 APG.

Lillard has been consulted on the team’s trades over the past week and the blueprint for the future.

“Damian has been great. He communicates with (head coach) Chauncey (Billups) and I constantly,” Cronin said, per Highkin (Twitter link). “He’s fully caught up with what our plans are and were and is very integral to what our plans are.”

Several other interesting tidbits came out of Portland’s press conference. Here are some of the other highlights:

Discussing the trade that sent CJ McCollum to the Pelicans, Cronin said, “It was really important to us that CJ separated from us on good terms, and I think we did that” (Twitter link).
Eric Bledsoe, who was acquired from the Clippers in the deal that sent Norman Powell and Robert Covington to L.A., won’t be bought out, according to Cronin. Bledsoe’s $19.4MM contract for next season is only partially guaranteed for $3.9MM, so Portland can decide on his future in the offseason. (Twitter link).
Despite blowing up the roster, Cronin believes the team can attract free agents. “I’m confident that we can be competitive with free agents. With Chauncey Billups, Damian Lillard and myself, we can get into meetings and we’re not afraid to go after players.” (Twitter link).
The front office felt the team could no longer compete for a title with the previous roster, according to Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com. “It had become evident to us that the roster had plateaued,” Cronin said. “It was a team that was built to fit a specific coaching style and a style of play that we didn’t feel was conducive to the way Chauncey and myself wanted to play. With that, we were capped out, we were looking at a team that would have been in the luxury tax by $15 million next season with not many ways to improve.”
Luxury tax concerns were a major focus in each of Portland’s trades, particularly the blockbuster with the Clippers. “The deal was important for us because it got us out of the luxury tax this year, which completely reset our repeater clock, meaning we don’t go back in, even if we’re in the tax in future seasons, until at least 2025,” Cronin said. “And the trade also gave us a bunch of leverage in the next deals that we needed to make where teams would no longer hold getting us out of the luxury tax as a part of the negotiation. So that was a good deal for us.”
President of business operations Dewayne Hankins said Cronin is a serious candidate for the permanent GM position, Highkin tweets. “Ownership is still in the process of an equitable search. Joe is obviously a candidate for it, and he has the keys to do what he needs to do.”

Stein’s Latest: Lillard, Wall, Westbrook, Mavs, Turner, Harden, Simmons

February 10th, 2022 at 7:33am CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers‘ roster makeover this week has prompted multiple teams to place a call to Portland’s front office in an effort to engage in trade talks involving Damian Lillard, according to Marc Stein at Substack. However, Stein hears that those inquiries have been “swiftly rebuffed” by the Blazers.

Reporting following the CJ McCollum trade this week indicated that Portland’s plan is to reshape its roster around Lillard, and the star point guard still sounds committed to sticking it out with the Blazers. As Stein writes, there’s a growing expectation from the outside that Lillard probably won’t return from his abdominal surgery this season, with the Blazers seemingly shifting their short-term focus from playoff contention to draft positioning.

Here’s more from Stein:

A source close to the situation tells Stein that the Rockets remain unwilling to consider a John Wall/Russell Westbrook swap unless the Lakers are willing to put their 2027 first-round pick in a deal. There has still been no indication that Los Angeles is open to that concept, says Stein.
The Mavericks made a run at Caris LeVert before the Pacers traded him to Cleveland, but were unable to make a deal, according to Stein, who notes that the Cavaliers were able to offer better assets than Dallas. A Mavs offer may have required Indiana to take the long-term contract of injured swingman Tim Hardaway Jr., Stein writes.
Although a trade of Myles Turner hasn’t been entirely ruled out, the big man is widely expected to remain with the Pacers through the deadline, per Stein.
Stein says his best read of the James Harden/Ben Simmons situation is that there’s a price point at which the Nets would be willing to make a deal today, but it would be “steep” and it’s unclear if the Sixers have the appetite to meet it.

Blazers Notes: Lillard, McCollum, Grant, Draft Pick

February 9th, 2022 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard tells Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com that he and longtime teammate CJ McCollum had talked for years about the possibility that they may eventually end up playing on different teams. However, that didn’t necessarily cushion the blow when Lillard learned that McCollum was being traded to New Orleans.

“As a friend and a teammate, I love CJ, that’s like a real friend of mine, not just my teammate,” Lillard said. “… It is what it is, we both knew that this point would be coming. But that don’t make it no easier to deal with. I think that’s where I am now. Me and him literally talked about it happening, the possibility of it and it was likely and stuff like that, and I still woke up this morning like, sad. It’s actually done. When I’m seeing ‘CJ to the Pelicans’ and stuff like that, it’s like damn, ain’t no coming back from this, this is it. It ain’t gonna be no every day, pull up to the house, dinner on the road, all that stuff. It’s done, he’s on a new team.

“As much as I understood it and he understood it and we kind of have always communicated in a transparent way, it don’t make it any easier to deal with or to look at. Like man, is it really over? Is the run really over? And that’s where we are.”

While McCollum’s time as a Trail Blazer has come to an end, the team reportedly has no plans to move Lillard and hopes to reshape the roster around him. For his part, Portland’s star point guard sounds like he’s on board with that plan.

“For me, my heart is Portland Trail Blazer,” Lillard said, per Holdahl. “I want to win it. I know that I have a plan that’s going to put me on my best level when I come back to play. And I want our team to fit that.

“I’m a huge fan of Chauncey Billups. I love Chauncey, we’ve got a great relationship and I think he’ll continue to grow into the head coach that he wants to be. And I’m a Joe Cronin fan. In his position I think it takes being bold and doing bold things, doing what you see fit and standing on it. He’s told me that our plan is to build a winning team, not to rebuild. Because we had a prior relationship to him becoming GM, I trust his word.”

Here’s more on the Blazers:

Echoing Adrian Wojnarowski’s reporting, Chris Mannix of SI.com says the Trail Blazers may shift from selling to buying before Thursday’s deadline, using their newly-acquired assets to add pieces that could help them win as soon as next season. Mannix, like other reporters, has heard that Pistons forward Jerami Grant is a possible trade target for Portland.
The Trail Blazers will receive the Pelicans‘ first-round pick in 2022 if it lands between No. 5 and No. 14. However, if it ends up in the top four or outside of the lottery, New Orleans will instead owe Portland the Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick (top-four protected), tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com.
Jason Quick of The Athletic takes a look at the Blazers’ decision to finally move McCollum, suggesting that the move represented the team finally coming to grips with an uncomfortable truth.

Blazers Plan To Reshape Roster Around Damian Lillard

February 8th, 2022 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have shaken up their roster in a major way within the last few days, trading Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers on Friday and reaching an agreement today on a deal that will send CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr., and Tony Snell to New Orleans.

Despite some speculation that the series of moves could lead to a Damian Lillard trade, that’s not Portland’s plan. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), the Blazers intend to “fully reshape” their roster around Lillard, who is currently recovering from abdominal surgery.

As Wojnarowski explains, the Blazers plan to pursue “high-end talent” now and won’t embark on a more full-scale teardown that involves moving Lillard. Outlining the ammo available to Portland, Woj says the team has multiple draft picks and assets from its trades with the Clippers and Pelicans, will create a $21MM trade exception in the McCollum deal, and could have up to $60MM in cap room this summer.

Portland will indeed create a trade exception worth about $20.9MM, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. Since they’ll be able to match the incoming salaries of Josh Hart, Didi Louzada, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker using Nance’s and Snell’s outgoing contracts, the Blazers will create an exception worth the difference between McCollum’s $30.9MM salary and Satoransky’s $10MM salary.

However, Wojnarowski’s projection of $60MM in cap room isn’t realistic at this point. The Blazers currently have $68.6MM in guaranteed salaries on the books for next season, according to Marks (Twitter link). That’s only about $52.3MM below the projected cap, and it doesn’t include any cap holds, including the ones for free-agents-to-be Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic, or Portland’s one or two lottery picks. It also assumes the Blazers will waive both Hart and Eric Bledsoe, which is possible, but not a lock.

The Blazers’ cap space seems more likely to end up in the $20-30MM range, though that projection remains very much in flux, especially if the club makes additional moves this week. In order to take advantage of that space, Portland would have to renounce whatever is left of its $20.9MM trade exception.

Whatever the Blazers’ cap situation ultimately looks like, their plan to build around Lillard will hinge on the point guard’s willingness to buy in. Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (Twitter link) says he has heard multiple times that Lillard is on board with a major retooling of the roster since he recognizes this season is a lost cause.

Still, the front office will be under pressure this offseason to adequately build around Lillard or risk having him eventually ask for a trade, according to Fentress (Twitter links), who thinks the 31-year-old will want out if the club fails to add the proper pieces around him.

Cronin: Blazers Not Planning To Blow Up Roster

February 4th, 2022 at 8:21am CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have fallen short of their expectations on the court this season, having posted a 21-31 record to date. The team has also undergone front office and head coaching changes within the last year. However, interim general manager Joe Cronin told Mark Medina of NBA.com that the Blazers don’t plan to blow up their roster and launch a full-fledged rebuild at the trade deadline.

“I don’t think we have the appetite to tear it all the way down,” Cronin said. “We have too many good players and too many ways to get better without taking too big of a step back.”

When I previewed the trade deadline for Northwest teams on Thursday, I wrote that the Blazers’ most likely path would be to hang onto players like Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, and Nassir Little while perhaps moving one or more veterans from a group that includes CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, Robert Covington, and Jusuf Nurkic.

In his conversation with Medina, Cronin didn’t confirm or deny shopping specific players, but hinted that Portland would be open to reshaping its roster to have a better chance of competing in 2022/23 and beyond, even if it means taking a bit of a hit in the short term.

“It’s delicate,” Cronin said when asked about the team’s short- and long-term goals. “I think we all take a big-picture approach knowing that one season is a small vacuum of a larger picture. It’s hard. We’re all so competitive that we want to win consistently. Sometimes to do that, you have to take a step back at times. Sometimes you just have to be patient. So, you’re trying to balance deal by deal what accomplishes the overall big-picture goals.”

Here are a few more of the most noteworthy comments Cronin made in his discussion with Medina:

On what message ownership has sent the interim GM about his job status:

“They’ve been very open with me as far as I’ll have an opportunity to keep this job. But there’s going to be a (GM) search. They showed a lot of trust in me by allowing me to make some decisions with staffing and going into this trade deadline with some roster decisions. So, the trust they’ve shown is really I can ask for and it’s a big compliment. We’ll just take it as we go as far as what the job search looks like and what my chances are.”

On Lillard’s recovery from abdominal surgery:

“It’s coming along great. The surgery was a success. That had been bothering him for years and years. It’s a big relief for him to finally address it. The hope that comes with it is knowing it’s a lot better and that this is really going to enhance his game and hopefully prolong his career.

“… We’re going to be patient and make sure he’s fully healed physically and mentally. I think the break for him is really good. These years really ran together the last three. The weight that he carries, that’s a lot. The way he carried through that injury. Physically, we want to make sure he’s good. Mentally, we want to make sure he’s refreshed and ready to go whenever he comes back.”

On whether the Blazers’ place in the standings will influence Lillard’s return date:

“With our whole approach, it’s going to be big-picture. We’re not going to rush him back just to win a few ball games. We’re going to make sure he’s healthy and right and perform for many years, not just this closing season. We’ll address it and look at it. But I don’t want to put any pressure on him. He can come back once he’s fully healed.”

Trade Rumors: Brunson, Simmons, Horton-Tucker, More

February 1st, 2022 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

After Marc Stein reported on Monday that Jalen Brunson is more likely to stay with the Mavericks through February 10 than to be traded at the deadline, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon conveyed a similar sentiment during an appearance on Zach Lowe’s podcast, The Lowe Post.

“I have been assured that they will not move Brunson before the trade deadline unless it is, and I quote, a ‘What the bleep are they thinking?’ type of offer,” MacMahon said, according to NBC Sports.

Brunson has become an integral part of the Mavericks’ offense, posting career highs in PPG (15.7) and APG (5.6) so far this season. While he has generated plenty of interest ahead of his looming free agency, Dallas reportedly remains confident in its ability to re-sign him. However, Lowe – who previously suggested the flight risk for Brunson is “very, very real” – warns that the Mavs should be careful about how they approach those negotiations.

“The thing on Brunson is I wouldn’t mess around too much if I were the Mavs,” Lowe said, per NBC Sports. “That’s all I’ll say. I wouldn’t be too cute with the negotiating. I wouldn’t be too cute, based on what I’ve heard.”

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

Executives around the NBA aren’t fully convinced that the Kings are really finished with the Ben Simmons sweepstakes, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. “The Kings needed to walk away because the Sixers were unreasonable in their demands,” an Eastern Conference executive told Bleacher Report. “If Philly backs off [those demands] some, perhaps Sacramento could still make a run at [Simmons].”
Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker is viewed by rival teams as a “marginal asset,” Pincus writes in the same Bleacher Report story. Even though he’s still a developing prospect, Horton-Tucker earns a higher salary than virtually every other 21-year-old in the NBA and will be able to reach unrestricted free agency as early as 2023, diminishing his value.
Pincus adds in the same Bleacher Report story that most teams expect Damian Lillard to sign a two-year contract extension with the Trail Blazers in the offseason. That suggests Lillard won’t be asking for a trade anytime soon.
The Celtics are open to virtually any trade inquiry leading up to the February 10 deadline, but any roster “fireworks” are more likely to happen in the offseason than this month, writes Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. According to Bulpett, multiple sources believe that if Boston doesn’t play well in the second half, it’s possible Jaylen Brown could “acknowledge that the mix isn’t right and seek a move.”

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