If Damian Lillard is to have any chance to win an NBA championship – which he says he wants to do with the Trail Blazers – he has to leave Portland, insists sports analyst Stephen A. Smith.
“I have been begging Damian Lillard to get the hell out of Portland,” Smith said, via ClutchPoints. “You’re not winning there, you’re not gonna get any free agents to come there. It’s just not gonna happen.
“Who doesn’t love the thought of playing with Damian Lillard? Kevin Durant would have loved to play with Damian Lillard. There’s a whole bunch of people who would have loved to play Damian Lillard. What’s their issue? He’s in Portland, that’s why! …
“This is a superstar! There isn’t a point guard alive outside of Steph Curry that I would rather have in basketball than Damian Lillard on my squad. He deserves to be in a big market… It’s crying damn shame that he is in Portland, Oregon in the Pacific North West two hours from Seattle, okay? The bottom line is he needs to get the hell out of there… He’s not winning in Portland! It will not happen!”
Interestingly, Lillard was recently asked about his preferred trade destinations and named two – Miami and Brooklyn.