Despite being one of the most sought-after players in the NBA right now, Damian Lillard isn’t thinking of leaving the Portland Trail Blazers now or in the future. The talented point guard has been linked with a move away for a while now, but nothing has happened so far.
In the past two years, he was linked with a variety of teams, especially the Los Angeles Lakers, but we all know that the Purple and Gold aren’t in condition to trade for Lillard. Still, he was followed by other teams like the New York Knicks, but Dame has repeatedly stated he’s loyal to his team.
If anybody doubted that the former All-Star is serious about his commitment to the Portland Trail Blazers, Lillard once again stated his desire to stay with the team for as long as possible, and even plans to be a Blazer ‘for life’.
Damian Lillard Confirms He’s Not Leaving The Portland Trail Blazers
With many players trying to force their way out of teams, Damian has taken a different approach, showing his loyalty to the team. During a recent interview on The Dave Pasche Podcast, the former Rookie of the Year talked about his future plans and what he hopes to accomplish in Portland.
“Yes, I do (plan on being a Blazer for life),” Lillard said, via Casey Holdahl. “I’ve had my share of people saying ‘Man, you got to get out of there! You’ve got to do this, you’ve got do to that.’ But I’m the type of person that I’m never going to be marching to the beat of nobody else’s drum.
“I’m gonna always do what I feel like is in my best interest and that I really feel in my heart. I’ve said this on many different occasions, they call it ‘He’s being loyal!’ and ‘Loyalty this, loyalty that’ and I’m like, I’m naturally a loyal person but I do have a level of loyalty to the organization, but this loyalty that they’re talking about is ultimately to who I am as a person. I’m being loyal to who I am and not getting beside myself because I’m somebody that, I believe what I believe.”
Just like Bradley Beal said a couple of weeks ago, Lillard is also confident that he doesn’t need to leave his current team to win a championship. He’s firm in his beliefs and won’t change his mind regardless of what people say.
“I think I can get it done,” Lillard said. “Now, everybody else might say ‘There’s no way the Blazers will ever win. They need to do this, they need to do that.’ But that’s just not how I feel about the situation.
“I feel like we’ll have a chance to win, I feel like that moment is going to come, I feel like that opportunity is going to come. And that’s that.”
Dame has earned both praise and criticism for his mindset, but it’s pretty clear he won’t change anything. He’s keen to win it all in Portland and nobody will change his mind. The Blazers made a big move this offseason, trading for Jerami Grant. They could make some noise next season, but it’s obvious that they aren’t considered candidates to take it all.
