Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard recently shot down the notion that he was going to demand a trade this offseason, though he didn't really make a firm long-term commitment to the franchise. It's clear he wants some changes to be made, otherwise he might not be long for Rip City.

TrueHoop's Henry Abbott delivered the Lillard trade demand report that the Blazers star denied, and now Abbott is digging in. His latest from Tuesday tried to clarify that a part of Lillard was thinking about making a trade request after a Team USA meeting that featured players talking about their futures, but instead he opted against it. The real bombshell was the claim that the point guard is potentially willing to forgo game checks in order to force a trade to a title contender:

Well, Lillard caught wind of this latest report. His response says it all:

And more:

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At this point, it's clear that Lillard isn't totally happy in Portland. There's too much smoke out there about it, and he himself has explicitly said he wants to see changes made. But that doesn't necessarily mean he's ready to pull a James Harden and sit out in order to force a trade.

Of course, maybe the circumstances change if Lillard doesn't like what the Blazers do this offseason. If he surveys the roster after their moves are made and he doesn't like what he sees, maybe then the trade demand comes. It does feel like the writing is on the wall when it comes to his long-term future, but Portland is still going to get a chance to prove to him he should stick around.

The Blazers already did hire a new coach in Chauncey Billups, though that didn't come without controversy. There have been rumors regarding a CJ McCollum trade. Neil Olshey is on the clock and needs to show urgency this offseason, otherwise Dame could be a goner soon.