NBA superstar Damian Lillard addressed recent reports and rumors about his future with his team, the Portland Trail Blazers, following Team USA’s practice on Thursday, July 8 (Friday, July 9, Manila time).
Lillard, 30, emphasized to a pool of reporters via Zoom that news of his potential desire to request a trade out of Portland have not come from him directly.
“At this point, it’s a lot of things being said. Sometimes, words [are] being put in my mouth and I haven’t said anything,” the six-time All-Star stated.
“All of the people who have covered me since I’ve been here should know that if I have something to say, I’ll say it and stand on it. It’s been a lot of talk. Nobody has heard what I said, or I haven’t said anything. Everything I have to say, I’ve said to Neil (Olshey) directly. I don’t really have nothing to say to you guys about it. Everything I need to say and feel has been said to Neil.”
Olshey has been the Trail Blazers’ general manager since June 2012, about the same time Portland selected Lillard as the sixth overall pick of that year’s draft.
Together, Olshey and Lillard, his cornerstone, have steered Portland to consecutive playoff appearances the last decade, with help from the likes of CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, and former head coach Terry Stotts.
However, the Trail Blazers have failed to advance past the Western Conference Finals in Lillard’s career.
Their latest defeat – a first-round loss at the hands of the Jamal Murray-less Denver Nuggets – sparked intrigue on whether or not Lillard, a second-team All-NBA selection in 2021, would ask for a trade to team up with other superstars and a better shot at an NBA title.
Franchises like the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat are reportedly interested in Lillard, among a handful of other teams.
The speculation recently rose after Lillard’s Instagram post following Portland’s elimination to Denver and when he was spotted with LeBron James during an LA Sparks game.
Olshey’s first major move to revamp the Trail Blazers was to let go of Stotts and hire new head coach Chauncey Billups, although that move arrived with scrutiny due to the reemergence of the former NBA Finals MVP’s sexual assault accusation when he was a rookie in 1997.
Billups, who then played for the Boston Celtics, settled the suit for an undisclosed amount.
The hiring process somewhat backfired on Lillard given that he went on the record to note Billups and another former NBA player, Jason Kidd, who was hired by Dallas, as his choices to take over Stotts’ position.
Lillard clarified on Friday that he had no knowledge of Billups’ case from 24 years ago.
“When I said that I didn’t know, I meant, right away when we let Terry go, I was asked about names that had been floated out there. And of the ones that had been floated out there, I said I like J-Kidd and I like Chauncey. And that time, I had no idea of any of it,” he said.
“When I did learn of it and the process continued, I never felt like it was my job or my duty to say, ‘do this’ or ‘don’t do this.’
“I do my job, I improve my game, and show up as the point guard of the team. In the past, I’ve never stepped on anybody’s toes or demanded anything or told anybody what to do and it was no different in this situation. That’s all I can really say.”
Lillard also shared: “Our organization said they did a thorough investigation and went through everything, they went through the process of hiring a coach as they did, in a comfortable way. That’s not my decision or my job to say, ‘This guy is hired’ or ‘This guy is not hired’ or anything. This is what it is now. So here we are.”
For now, it looks like the momentum of a potential Lillard trade will slow down, as it sounds like the Olympian will give his team’s new look a chance.
“I’m prepared to go in and do my job every year like I always do. Hopefully we make strides in a positive direction, and we can become a better team with a new coach. That’s where I am with it.”
Lillard and Team USA will be in action against Nigeria for a practice game on Sunday, July 11. – Rappler.com
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