After days of swirling speculations, the Portland Trail Blazers are finally shutting down Damian Lillard for the remainder of the 2022-23 season, via Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.
This move by the Blazers is already expected by many given the Blazers’ standing in the West. Lillard and his club have been left out of the tight playoff race in the Conference as they occupy the 13th seed with a 32-43 record.
The last play-in spot in the West, which is being occupied by the Oklahoma City Thunder (37-39), is leading them by 4.5 games. With that, it appears that the door for the postseason appearance this year is already closed for them.
Portland still got seven games left on their regular season schedule. They may purposely lose all in purpose for a better chance to land a top pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
As such, with the Blazers out of the playoff picture for the second-straight year, all eyes are watching the future of Lillard in Rip City. Shams Charania of The Athletic has noted that he expects both sides to have “serious conversations” about their plans moving forward.
