Portland Trail Blazers: It’s time to prove it to Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard is committed to the Portland Trail Blazers. It’s only fair for them to deliver it back. 

Over the last 12 months, a huge opportunity was presented to Damian Lillard. He was given a get-out-of-jail (err, Portland) free card. After years and years of commitment to a franchise that has done little to help Lillard get over the hump in the Western Conference, the public consensus was that he could ask for out of the organization and it would come judgment-free.

Instead, he leaned all the way into his loyalty to the organization. The Portland Trail Blazers traded CJ McCollum at least year’s NBA Trade Deadline and Lillard followed through by signing an extension with the team this offseason, indicating that he has no interest in leaving for “greener pastures.”

Can the Portland Trail Blazers retool quickly?

Because of Lillard’s loyalty to the Blazers, it’s only fair for the team to try and retool around him quickly. However, I’m not sure if re-signing Jusuf Nurkic, Anfernee Simons, and Jerami Grant would quantify as just that.

Nevertheless, at least the Blazers are trying. And perhaps that’s all that Lillard could ask for. He’s at the peak of his powers, at 32 years old, and may not have many prime years left.

Being a playoff contender is not what Lillard and the Blazers need to be about this season or over the next couple of years. A player as good as Lillard should always be striving for something better than that.

But it remains to be seen if the Blazers will A) be aggressive enough and B) if they have enough tradable assets. It will be an uphill battle for Portland but they have to do whatever it takes to make some progress for the sake of Dame.

Lillard has echoed that he wants to be a Blazer for life. His loyalty is part of what makes him a special player. With his professional clock running out, it’s Portland’s time to go all-in.

The Blazers are a team to keep an eye on heading into the 2022-23 NBA season. For better or worse, Lillard is certainly one to watch this year.