Damian Lillard has long been loyal to the Portland Trail Blazers, and there is no doubt that he has been the face of their franchise. There is no question that he is a superstar caliber player when healthy.
Despite his loyalty, many have suggested that the Portland Trail Blazers should trade him and start a rebuild. Charles Barkley was the latest to push for that idea, and he stated that the team has to start the rebuild immediately, as they’re “no good currently”, and because there’s no point to holding on to an aging superstar “when they’re making $50 million” per season.
https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1497069038521892868
They gotta get rid of Dame first, that’s the biggest piece to go… I’ve said it before. They’ve got to trade Dame, start the rebuild.
They ain’t no good. And Dame is on the back side of his career. … You can’t hold on to aging superstars when they’re making $50 million a year.
It remains to be seen if the Portland Trail Blazers do end up trading an iconic player for their franchise. Damian Lillard has certainly done a lot for the team, but they could end up trading him and starting a new era for the team.
With that being said, there are still ways for them to build around Damian Lillard. There was a report that suggested the Portland Trail Blazers could potentially build around Damian Lillard by creating $60 million in cap space this summer.
Hopefully, we see Damian Lillard win a championship during his career. There is no question that he would prefer that it happens with the Trail Blazers, but as of now, the chances of that actually happening are low. Hopefully though, things change in the future, and perhaps we’ll see the Trail Blazers get Damian Lillard a new co-star after trading CJ McCollum prior to the trade deadline.
