Damian Lillard has been loyal to the Portland Trail Blazers for 11 seasons. Dame has tried his best to lead the Trail Blazers to an NBA Championship with the rosters that he has been provided.
But the farthest that the Trail Blazers reached was the Western Conference Finals in 2019. They were swept by the Golden State Warriors. Now, there are rumors about Lillard contemplating his future with the franchise if they do not build a skilled roster around him. Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes recently revealed Lillard’s ultimatum to the Trail Blazers.
“Dame has made it clear that he wants to compete for a championship, and he wants to continue, and he wants a roster that can get him there,” Haynes said on a recent episode of the #thisleague UNCUT podcast. “He wants that now, he does not want to wait, he does not want to go through a rebuild, doesn’t want to continue to play with younger guys to help them grow and get to that point he wants to win.”
(Starts at 21:30)
Damian Lillard will turn 33 years old in July 2023. As he progresses into his 30s, Dame’s chances of winning an NBA title will only get slimmer.
Keeping that in mind, it’s no surprise that the veteran point guard wants to compete for an NBA Championship right now. Lillard averaged 32.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 7.3 APG during the 2022-23 season.
Will Damian Lillard Leave The Trail Blazers This Summer?
The Trail Blazers have a huge decision to make ahead of the Thursday night 2023 NBA Draft. They own the third overall pick in the draft. It could be used to essentially trade for a star player and pair him up with Lillard to bolster the team’s chances of winning a ring.
Lillard apparently wants the organization to try and trade for New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson. Now, it could be a bit of a stretch to aim to get Zion on the team, but if the Trail Blazers can pull this off, their chances of winning a title will skyrocket.
Zion played 29 games last season and averaged 26.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 4.6 APG. If he can manage to stay healthy, his partnership with Lillard could be lethal.
But what if the Trail Blazers fail to trade the No. 3 pick in the draft? Well, Dame is expected to demand a trade in that case. Either way, the Trail Blazers will be under the spotlight on the night of the 2023 NBA Draft.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
