In the NBA, there are few constants. For better or worse, Damian Lillard and his loyalty to the Portland Trailblazers has been one of them.
Through thick and thin, the superstar guard has been steadfast in his position. No matter how loud the rumor mill would buzz, Damian Lillard would remain devoted to the franchise. Through all the roster changes, Lillard has always done his best to make it work in the pursuit of a championship.
It was almost laughable how loyal Damian Lillard was to Portland, an organization that frankly has done little to maximize the guard’s best years.
But every person’s loyalty can eventually wither into dust. And Damian Lillard seems to have finally lost his patience with Portland. And just in case anyone thought this was merely rumors or a stray quote taken out of context, Lillard recently confirmed that he did indeed request a trade. Ironically, the superstar went on to say that he did not want to speak too much about his current situation.
It feels akin to loudly letting the cat out of the bag, but then not wanting to talk about it while it runs around the room.
Needless to say, the request is a massive deal for the league. It’s not every day a player of Damian Lillard’s caliber requests a trade openly. Despite his age, Lillard is still playing at a high level and as such will command a premium from any team wanting to acquire his services. I can already imagine several teams wanting him and benefitting from a player like Lillard on their roster, including the Raptors, the 76ers, and of course the Miami Heat, Lillard’s preferred destination.
The response from management has also been richly ironic, specifically from general manager Joe Cronin who has said that he is looking to exercise patience in the trade market and that he is willing to wait for the ‘right deal’ to come around, even if it takes him deep into the regular season.
Now I’m no general manager of a major league basketball team, but I can’t help but feel that this lackadaisical approach regarding Damian Lillard since he was drafted is exactly the reason he wants to leave. Time and time again the Trail Blazers had opportunities to build around their star guard, and every single time they’ve done little to nothing in that regard. The closest they got to being competitive with Dame was when he was paired with CJ McCollum.
Once his backcourt partner was gone, Lillard must have seen the writing on the wall. This team has refused to get better. They refused to strike when the iron was hot. And even now, when every passing day will likely reduce the amount of leverage they have, the front office is content to sit by and wait for some fairytale trade that will almost assuredly never come.
But hey, at least they’re consistent. Consistently frustrating. Ultimately, it will still be interesting to see what becomes of Damian Lillard. To Scoot Henderson, I hope you don’t face the same frustration and futility that Lillard has in “Rip City.”
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