The Portland Trail Blazers are used to questions about Damian Lillard’s future with the franchise, and every time they’ve popped up, Lillard and the team have presented a united front, which has led to him stick around. But according to a new report by Henry Abbott of TrueHoop, that might change this offseason due to Lillard’s displeasure with how things are going.
Abbott reports that in the not-too-distant future, Lillard could submit a formal request for greener pastures. In a post on his Substack on Friday, Abbott wrote, “Now a source close to Lillard says that in the days to come, he plans to request a trade.”
Lillard’s frustrations have been on display in a few different ways ever since the Blazers’ offseason began following a first-round loss to the Denver Nuggets. In the immediate aftermath, Lillard made comments that raised eyebrows about the team not being good enough before making a post on his Instagram that asked “How long should I stay dedicated? How long til opportunity meet preparation?” Weeks later, reports of his frustration went to a new level amid the backlash the team’s decision to hire Chauncey Billups.
Everything is a rumor until something concrete happens, but it’s not hard to see this being different. A report from a few weeks back indicated “six or seven” teams thought that they had a chance to bring Lillard on board via a trade, and now, the opportunity to start negotiating might be just around the corner.