Portland Trail Blazers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Damian Lillard Discusses Decision To Stick With Blazers

November 3rd, 2021 at 4:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has acknowledged that he reevaluated his future in Portland following a frustrating 2020/21 season and first-round playoff loss. However, after a summer of soul-searching, the six-time All-Star appears more committed than ever to the Blazers, expressing that sentiment again this week after he received cheers from Sixers fans in Philadelphia, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN details.

“I know what it is and I know what it’s about,” Lillard said after the game. “But I’m a Trail Blazer. I appreciate the love. I appreciate the respect that they showed and the desire or whatever but I’m 10 toes in Rip City, and I’ve said that time and time again, and tonight I laughed about it during starting lineups but that was that.”

Lillard has spoken a little over the last month about his recommitment to the Blazers, but he went into more detail on his thought process in a conversation with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, revealing that he weighed his decision for two months and met in Los Angeles with Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis during the offseason.

According to Lillard, James and Davis didn’t push him to become a Laker. Even if Lillard had expressed interest in such a scenario, the odds of Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey trading him to Los Angeles would’ve been virtually non-existent, Haynes notes. Still, LeBron asked him how he felt about his situation in Portland and talked about what it might look like if he were to leave. For his part, Lillard expressed reluctance to join a super-team.

“I was just saying, I don’t know if this is the route I wanted to go,” Lillard told Haynes. “And that was pretty much how the conversation went.

“… I’m sure it would be great to play with LeBron and AD and play in a big market, but as attractive as it sounded and as fun as that might be, I don’t feel in my heart that that’s who I am or where I belong. And one thing I want to emphasize is that this decision (to stick with the Blazers) wasn’t made out of comfort. I’m not afraid to be out of my comfort zone, because I’m going to live here when I’m done playing regardless. I made my decision based on what I actually want to do.”

Haynes’ in-depth look at Lillard’s decision-making process includes a ton of interesting tidbits and is worth reading in full. Here are a few more of the most noteworthy quotes from the Blazers star:

On his decision to remain in Portland:

“I want to win here. I’ve attached myself to the history of this organization and this city. Just in thinking about how long it’s been since they’ve won, I want to be a part of that coming to an end. I want people to say, ‘When Dame came through here, he rode all the way out for us through the good and the bad. He was ready to sink with the ship.’

“… If I did decide to go do something else, there’s also no guarantee that I’m going to win it by moving on. So, my best bet is to stick to my guns and do what I care about in my heart. … You look at some of the dudes around the league that was at the top of their game and they made one move and now they’re on this team, next year on another team and now they’re somewhere completely different. As much as I want to win, I want to do it my way.”

On whether he’s satisfied with the moves the front office has made and the team’s direction going forward:

“The conversations I’ve had with Neil, he didn’t promise me we’re about to get LeBron. They didn’t tell me we’re about to go get a superstar player because I don’t think you need all superstar players to win. We’ve got CJ (McCollum). He’s an All-Star-level player. We’ve got (Jusuf) Nurkic. He’s one of the best centers in the league. It’s the way you piece the team together.

“If you look at Phoenix, they don’t have a bunch of stars. They got people who are really good at what they do and understand their roles. Chris Paul and Devin Booker are All-Stars, but Deandre Ayton is a quality center, Jae Crowder is an experienced, quality stretch-four man that’s tough, Cam Johnson is nice and Mikal Bridges is my favorite small forward in the league. You just look at how that team is put together and they’re in the Finals coming out of the West. That’s what my vision is. … We have the core pieces to do the same thing that Phoenix did. It’s just how you fill that in.”

On what it would be like to eventually win a title with the Blazers:

“If I was to get that championship for Portland, I would cry, bruh. Bruh, on the spot. I would really cry, bro. I want to win a championship here. And because of how strongly I feel about that, I don’t know how rewarding it would feel for me at this point if I won somewhere else. Winning it here would be a lifetime achievement for me.”

Warriors Rumors: Kuminga, Moody, Curry, Green, Klay, Iguodala

November 3rd, 2021 at 8:25am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors owner Joe Lacob is high on the team’s young prospects, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who told Michael Scotto on the HoopsHype Podcast that Lacob values Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody more than other teams do right now. As a result, the odds of either rookie being included in a trade this season – for Ben Simmons or anyone else – are very low.

Lacob’s desire to develop players like Kuminga, Moody, and James Wiseman into cornerstones for the next era of Warriors basketball would seem to be at odds with Stephen Curry‘s desire to maximize the team’s current window, Slater observes. However, Curry signed a new four-year extension with Golden State this offseason and seems “pretty dead set” on finishing his career with the team, according to Slater.

Slater believes Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green would ideally like to continue playing for the Warriors and pursuing titles together for the rest of their careers. However, Slater views Green as less of a sure thing than Curry to play his entire career in Golden State, noting that Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers would “love” to acquire the former Defensive Player of the Year if the opportunity arises. Green is under contract through 2022/23.

“If another team is willing to give Draymond a contract that the Warriors aren’t in a couple of years, I could see that going differently, even if their dream scenario would be to play forever,” Slater told Scotto.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

According to Slater on the HoopsHype podcast, Klay Thompson has participated in some two-on-two workouts and some “very controlled” contact work. Mid-December is probably the earliest Thompson would come back from his Achilles tear, per Slater, who says the team would be fine with pushing Klay’s return into the new year if he doesn’t feel quite ready next month.
If Andre Iguodala plays beyond the 2021/22 season, it would only be with the Warriors, Slater opines. Slater also expects the team to play it safe with the veteran wing during the season, resting him frequently to make sure he’s fresh for the stretch run and the postseason.
The Warriors have assigned Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody to the G League in order to have them play in Santa Cruz’s game against the Ignite on Wednesday, tweets Slater. The two lottery picks have played very limited minutes at the NBA level so far.

Northwest Notes: Simons, Conley, Azubuike, Z. Wade

October 31st, 2021 at 1:57pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Trail Blazers forward Anfernee Simons has really started to blossom during his fourth year, writes Jason Quick of The Athletic.

A lot of Simons’ improvement appears to be a credit to his commitment to offseason workouts with longtime trainer Phil Beckner. One of Portland’s many undersized guards, Simons is averaging career highs of 12.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.4 APG and 22.8 MPG through his first five games during the 2021/22 season.

“Usually, he would train with me here and there,” Beckner said. “And at the start of the summer he wanted to know where I was going to be. I told him either Phoenix or Portland. So I asked him where he was going to be. His answer: ‘Wherever you are at.”’

“Everybody kept telling me, ‘My time is coming. My time is coming …’ and I wanted to be prepared,” Simons said. “New coach, new opportunity, and I wanted to be prepared as much as possible to show I’m ready for it. So that was my whole thing this summer: follow Phil around and get better each day.”

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

34-year-old veteran Jazz point guard Mike Conley sat out his first game of the season yesterday, a 107-99 loss to the Bulls in which the Jazz desperately could have used Conley’s leadership, in a conscientious load management decision from head coach Quin Snyder. Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune details Utah’s thinking. “It’s more of a holistic decision, and one that we think is the best for our team and for Mike,” Snyder said. “I think, given the choice, he’d try to play every back-to-back. But I’m not gonna let him do that.” Conley is set to return tonight against the Bucks, per Jazz.com.
Newly-installed Jazz general manager Justin Zanik addressed the decision to pick up the team’s 2022/23 option on intriguing second-year center Udoka Azubuike, writes Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune. “I was very happy with him in the summer and the work that he’s done,” Zanik said. “It’s just really hard to be in game-type shape when you’re not playing games.” Azubuike appeared in just 15 contests as a rookie.
19-year-old rookie guard Zaire Wade, selected with the tenth pick in the NBA G League draft by the Salt Lake City Stars, G League affiliate to the Jazz, acknowledged grappling with detractors in his entrance to the pro ranks, writes Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune. His father, future Hall-of-Famer Dwyane Wade, is a part-owner of the Jazz. “I think a lot of people think that I’m not a hard-working kid and things get handed to me,” Zaire said. “Nothing’s handed to me. Coach said he noticed after the first day I stepped here, I’m just working hard trying to earn everything myself. I’m trying to make a name for myself.”

Lillard Believes Chauncey Can Make Him Champion

October 28th, 2021 at 8:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There was a lot of speculation regarding Damian Lillard‘s future with the Trail Blazers during the offseason but he appears content now, Mark Medina of NBA.com writes. Lillard has become a strong believer in first-year coach Chauncey Billups, who led the Pistons to the 2004 championship. “I think it’ll just continue to get better,” Lillard said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for me to see something different and to learn. (Billups) knows the way to help myself and him, as a coach, to become a champion.”

Trail Blazers Notes: Simons, Billups, Little, Powell, Snell

October 25th, 2021 at 7:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

One way for the Trail Blazers to realize internal improvement would be for fourth-year guard Anfernee Simons to blossom. Simons wants Chauncey Billups to provide tough love in their relationship, Casey Holdahl of the team’s website writes.

“It’s been good, good feedback,” Simons said about the first-year head coach. “Tell me anything no matter what. Have no filter for me. And that’s the only way we’re going to get a better relationship and how we get better.”

Simons is off to a promising start, averaging 14.5 PPG and 2.5 APG.

“I just think he’s so good, he’s so gifted,” Billups said. “The way that he can handle the ball, he can get to anywhere he wants on the floor, he’s a big time shooter. So I’m always just trying to pump confidence into him.”

Simons will be a restricted free agent next season if he receives a qualifying offer from the club.

We have more on the Trail Blazers:

Nassir Little has also found Billups’ coaching style to be productive, as he told Mike Richman in his daily podcast (video link). “He’s calm but he’s straightforward,” Little said. “He’s not going to sugarcoat it or beat around the bush. He holds everybody accountable equally, including himself.”
Norman Powell has been diagnosed with left patellar tendinopathy, Jay Allen of RipCityRadio 620 tweets. Powell departed early in Saturday’s game after injuring his knee. He’s listed as out for tonight’s game against the Clippers.
Tony Snell is also listed as out, Allen adds. Snell continues to work his way back from a right foot sprain that sidelined him during the preseason. Snell suffered a minor setback in his recovery last week.

Northwest Notes: Billups, Powell, Edwards, SGA

October 24th, 2021 at 9:16am CST by Arthur Hill

Chauncey Billups has been emphasizing defense and ball movement since he was hired as the Trail Blazers‘ head coach in June, and that combination was on display in a win over Phoenix Saturday night, writes Jason Quick of The Athletic. Billups inherited a team that reached the playoffs eight straight years under Terry Stotts, but has lost in the first round in four of the past five seasons. He is determined to take the Blazers to a new level, and he said that starts with breaking bad habits.

“I could have taken this job and just kept everything the same and said ‘All right, let’s be a little bit better defensively.’ But they (the players) want more. I want more,” Billups said after his first career coaching victory. “You can’t keep everything the same and expect different results. So, I could have done that. ‘We are going to run everything y’all used to run.’ Great offense, boom, bam. Well, there’s a ceiling on that, in my opinion. Not only in my opinion, we’ve seen it play out.”

The players seem to welcome the new approach, even though it’s delivered with a hard edge. Damian Lillard, who has been the subject of trade speculation, has said that talking to Billups made him more open to staying with the organization. Jusuf Nurkic was so inspired after hearing Billups’ introductory press conference that he flew from Bosnia to Portland to meet his new coach.

“He’s very detailed,” Nassir Little said. “And not just Chauncey, all the coaches. They are very detailed in what they are saying. They don’t let anything slide through the cracks as they are teaching. The way they break things down, from close-outs to footwork, to who goes where on rotations, it’s all so detailed.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Trail Blazers believe Norman Powell avoided a serious injury to his left knee Saturday night, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Powell left the game in the second quarter, but the results from initial tests are encouraging, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link). Powell will undergo an MRI, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian.
Veteran guard Patrick Beverley has been impressed by the willingness to accept instruction he sees from his new Timberwolves teammate Anthony Edwards, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “A lot of young guys, especially No. 1 picks — that’s no discredit of course to anybody — guys think they’ve got it figured out already …” Beverley said. “He’s always wide-eyed, bushy tailed and eager to learn. He’s like a sponge. He soaks up everything.”
Injuries limited Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 35 games last season and he’s still adjusting to being back on a full-time schedule, notes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “I think it only makes it harder the longer you go without playing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “With that being said, it’s no excuse. Guys in the NBA do it all the time. I just gotta figure it out.”

Snell Suffers Setback In Foot Rehab

October 21st, 2021 at 8:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

First-year coach Chauncey Billups says he’s not worried about the possibility of the Trail Blazers getting off to a slow start, Casey Holdahl of the team’s website writes. Billups is more concerned about the team’s growth under a new system. “This team has gotten to the playoffs forever and then those habits end up coming into play and it derails you from trying to extend your season,” he said. “So I’m more concerned with how we can change a lot of things that are really important for us on both ends of the ball. And when we actually do that, I just know how good of a team we can be.”
Trail Blazers wing Tony Snell suffered a minor setback as he recovers from a right foot sprain that sidelined during the preseason, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. “I think he’ll be on the court hopefully before two weeks but you can’t throw a guy back out there in a game,” Billups said. Snell joined the team in free agency on a one-year contract.

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

October 21st, 2021 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA regular season underway, most teams are taking full advantage of their ability to carry up to 17 players, including 15 on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals. As our roster counts page shows, 23 of the league’s 30 teams have full 17-man squads.

Most of the teams not carrying a 15th player on a standard contract are either over the luxury tax line or are bumping up against it, and have opted for financial savings for now. Those clubs are all decent bets to add a 15th man by season’s end, but likely won’t be in any rush to do so unless they face depth issues.

Here are the teams that are currently carrying just 14 players on their standard rosters:

Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz

Of these six teams, three – the Bucks, Blazers, and Jazz – project to be taxpayers, while the Heat and Wolves would go over the tax line if they were to add a 15th man. The Suns are the only team in this group with no pressing tax concerns.

Meanwhile, there are two teams with an open two-way contract slot:

Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns

The Magic’s inclusion here is a little surprising. They’re a rebuilding team with their own G League affiliate — it seems as if they’d benefit from taking a shot on a young prospect with that spot, and perhaps they will soon.

It’s less surprising that Phoenix is on this list. The Suns sold their G League affiliate last year, so they don’t have their own NBAGL team where they could send two-way players. Phoenix’s lone two-way player, Chandler Hutchison, will essentially serve as the team’s de facto 15th man for the time being.

Billups Played Key Role In Lillard’s Renewed Commitment To Blazers

October 20th, 2021 at 9:26am CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard acknowledged this week that he considered the possibility of leaving Portland this offseason after a disappointing playoff loss to Denver in the spring, writes Jason Quick of The Athletic. However, after deciding not to ask for a trade, Lillard remains committed to the franchise and has no intention of wavering even if the team gets off to a slow start this season.

“Everybody is saying what they think I’m thinking, and what they think I’m going to do, but like, I’m not leaving Portland, you know?” Lillard said.

As Quick details, a series of conversations over the summer with new head coach Chauncey Billups helped renew Lillard’s enthusiasm for remaining with the Blazers. Besides discussing basketball strategies and philosophies, the two men also talked about “family, life after basketball, and the qualities found in a winner,” according to Quick.

“I think a big part of (my change in mindset) was me and Chauncey’s conversations, and where we see things the same,” Lillard told The Athletic. “I’m not going to share details of our conversations, but it’s not often when I speak to people that they see what I see. Watching a game, observing people … there’s not many people who see what I see. But a lot of what I see, he sees. So that was very important to me. Like, that was a big deal.”

When Billups was hired by the team in June, he was aware Lillard was frustrated by how the 2020/21 season was played out and was weighing whether he wanted to remain in Portland for the long term. However, the first-time head coach didn’t feel pressure to push the six-time All-Star to stay with the team.

“I’ve never told Dame, or asked him, to stay. Nothing. I’ve never done that,” Billups said. “I felt like the biggest thing I wanted to do was share the things that were important to me. This is what I am. This is what I’m about. Then, it’s on him to decide: Is it worth it? Or should I punt?

“… It was all organic,” he added. “It wasn’t me putting pressure, not me asking this or that. It was a lot about family, about life, and about life after hoop was done. It was more than basketball. We have a great connection, and those healthy conversations are the type that allow one to make a conscious decision.”

Lillard has three more guaranteed years left on his contract with the Blazers, plus a player option for 2024/25, so it’s possible he’ll have a change of heart at some point before that deal expires. However, it sounds like the teams hoping he’ll ask for a trade shouldn’t count on that happening anytime soon. Lillard has bought into Billups’ vision for the franchise and is comfortable sticking with Portland for the foreseeable future.

“I don’t expect all times to be great times. Adversity is going to hit. There’s going to be some tough times,” Lillard said. “So if (this season) starts off rocky, or if it starts off in a struggle, I wouldn’t be happy about it. Nobody would. But I’m not going to jump ship or bail out when that happens. That’s an easy thing and popular thing to say, but it’s not going to happen.”

Cap/Contract Notes: Taxpayers, Allen, Carter, Shamet, Gafford

October 19th, 2021 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Now that all 30 regular season rosters have been set, 10 teams project to be taxpayers, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The Warriors, Nets, Clippers, Lakers, Bucks, Jazz, Sixers, Celtics, Trail Blazers, and Raptors are currently over the luxury tax threshold.

Some of those teams are in better shape than others. While the Warriors ($159.9MM) and Nets ($110.4MM) project to have nine-figure tax bills, the Raptors are barely into tax territory and should be able to sneak below the line, perhaps by waiving one of their two players who have partially guaranteed deals.

Besides Golden State and Brooklyn, the Clippers, Lakers, Bucks, and Jazz all have projected tax bills exceeding $33MM, according to Marks. The Sixers, Celtics, Blazers, and Raptors would owe less than $8MM each based on the current numbers.

Of course, these numbers can and will change over the course of the season as teams make roster moves, since tax bills are determined by the team’s year-end salary. For now though, the 20 non-taxpayers project to receive year-end payments of $12.7MM, Marks notes.

Here are a few more cap- and contract-related notes from around the NBA:

Grayson Allen‘s two-year extension with the Bucks features a base value of $17MM ($8.5MM per year) in guaranteed money, plus incentives, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The exact value of the incentives is $1.275MM annually, Hoops Rumors has learned. Currently, those are a mix of likely and unlikely bonuses, but since the deal doesn’t begin until 2022/23, those likely/unlikely designations will ultimately be based on what happens this coming season.
Wendell Carter Jr.‘s four-year extension with the Magic has a descending structure, Scotto tweets. It starts at $14.15MM in year one and dips to $10.85MM by year four. The deal is fully guaranteed, with no options.
In addition to having a team option on its fourth year, Landry Shamet‘s extension with the Suns has a non-guaranteed salary in year three, Hoops Rumors has learned. The last two years both have June 29 trigger dates, in 2024 and 2025. Only $19.75MM of Shamet’s $42.5MM deal is fully guaranteed for now.
Daniel Gafford‘s three-year extension with the Wizards doesn’t include any options or incentives, tweets John Hollinger of The Athletic.