There's no love lost between Damian Lillard and former Portland Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey it seems.
On Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported how the next general manager of the Blazers will have a rather complicated task of keeping Lillard while not sacrificing the future of the team. The All-Star guard will reportedly seek a two-year, $107 million extension next July, which would pay him over $50 million in 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons.
Such desire poses a problem for the Blazers, as they will lose their flexibility while paying a player who is already in the advanced stages of his career at 35-plus years old. Dame is currently 31.
Per ESPN:
As much as anything, this cuts to the core of the Blazers' search process. His desire for an extension into his advanced NBA years has turned into a battle for the franchise's future, an existential threat to reshaping and redirecting the organization in a post-playoff reality.
The prospects of Portland extending Lillard, 31, beyond his $48.8 million in 2024-25 to pay him $51 million at 35 years old and $55 million at 36 threatens to turn an asset of a contract into an albatross.
Upon learning of the ESPN story, the Damian Lillard couldn't help but react. He also threw a shade at Neil Olshey and Adrian Wojnarowski, hinting that the two colluded to release the story that paints him in a rather negative light.
Can’t say I’m surprised. https://t.co/AwOUKOfGQv
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) December 7, 2021
For what it's worth, Olshey is known to leak intel to Woj and Woj alone, and by the looks of it, Lillard is aware of the speculations.
Lillard has yet to address the details mentioned in the report, but certainly, the Blazers superstar doesn't look happy about it.
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