Over the last few weeks, all signs pointed to the Portland Trail Blazers and superstar guard Damian Lillard parting ways, with the struggling franchise more than likely trading him.
The Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets seem to be the only two potential destinations for Lillard, who admittedly wouldn’t mind being traded to either team if things went south with the Blazers.
Although it seemed like a trade was inevitable, especially after the Blazers drafted what many believe to be Lillard’s replacement in Scoot Henderson with the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Portland looks like it might be keeping the superstar for a bit longer.
According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, the Blazers remain committed to building around the veteran guard after team officials met with him to discuss the immediate future.
Portland Trail Blazers GM Joe Cronin issues statement on meeting with Damian Lillard: “I met with Dame and Aaron Goodwin this afternoon. We had a great dialogue. We remain committed to building a winner around Dame.”
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 27, 2023
Even though the drama in Portland appears to be over, with it now being business as usual for the Blazers, the team still has to go out and surround Lillard and Henderson with the talent to win now instead of later.
That will be no easy task for the team, with few assets that intrigue teams outside of Lillard.
So despite the fact the two sides are currently seeing eye-to-eye on things moving forward, it could be back to square one in a very short time if moves aren’t made to make the team drastically better ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season.
The problem for Portland is the clock is ticking with NBA free agency beginning this weekend and options likely starting to dry up on the trade market.
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