Damian Lillard could be on his way out of Portland amid backlash over the Trail Blazers’ negotiations with Chauncey Billups to become their next head coach.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported Lillard was not consulted on the pending hire of Billups, who was accused of rape along with former teammate Ron Mercer in 1997.
“The coaching search was conducted by Neil Olshey, the team’s president of basketball operations. None of the candidates who were interviewed were from suggestions from Lillard, sources said,” Haynes wrote.
And although the All-NBA guard has a relationship with Billups as a coach, announcer and former player, he had no prior knowledge of the past sexual assault allegations against him from 1997.”
At the top of that, Lillard’s future in Portland is considered uncertain due to the franchise continuous inability to build a contending roster around its superstar all those years.
The Blazers finished the 2020-21 season on a disappointing note as the team experienced another first round exit, the fourth in the last five years.
As a result, the Blazers decided to part ways with longtime head coach Terry Stotts and conducted a search that included several names including Billups.
The Trail Blazers are scheduled to announce the new head coach on Tuesday.
