Despite the raucous talks that tackle about their future uncertainties, it appears that the Portland Trail Blazers remain committed to Damian Lillard, per Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
Per O’Connor, the Blazers are leaning towards continuing to build around Lillard by looking to dump their top-three pick as well as considering Anfernee Simons as a trade asset.
“I hate to tell ya, Dame, but Portland isn’t close to a title, and the franchise is clearly prioritizing the future if it doesn’t move the third pick in this draft. If Shaedon Sharpe isn’t dealt, Damian Lillard might as well just ask out. My league sources say that Portland’s interest in building around Lillard is genuine. The front office is exploring deals for the no. 3 pick, and it’s also open to moving Anfernee Simons.”
Since their season has ended in a disappointing fashion, Lillard already echoed his opinion to the Blazers: either continue riding with him or pivot for a rebuild and trade him.
The All-Star cornerstone remains determined to continue contending with his beloved franchise, and this can’t be rejected from the fact that he averaged a career-high 32.2 points in 46.3 percent efficiency to go with 7.3 assists for 58 games this 2022-23.
Though the level of competition in the NBA severely increased, Portland still has to be confident about their chances with Lillard as they can certainly move their promising chips like Simons and Shaedon Sharpe to further enhance their roster. The fact that they do also hold the third overall pick of this year’s draft surely helps with their desire to improve the team.
It is to be seen how the Blazers will handle this important offseason in front of them. But as Lillard continues his hard campaigning and creation of buzzes about potentially leaving, the urgency meter is certainly going off the charts for them.
