Damian Lillard is well aware of all the buzz surrounding his future with the Portland Trail Blazers. In fact, the seven-time All-Star is partly responsible for all the swirling trade rumors after he previously identified the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets as potential landing spots if he ever asks out of Portland. At this point, Dame seems to want to put an end to all the noise, and he intends to do that by sitting down with the Blazers in a formal meeting.
NBA insider Chris Haynes has provided some key insights on Lillard's meeting with the Portland brass on Monday. Apparently, Dame is bringing his agent with him, which is a clear indication of how serious he is about getting his message across:
“He's gonna go in there with the mindset that he's been patient all these years, and he wants to play on a team that has a chance (to win a championship),” Haynes said. “… Dame is trying to give the organization time to come up with something. That's all Dame is asking for — come up with something. He doesn't want to go younger. He wants to get older. He wants to get older with proven veteran players. He wants to win now.
Article Continues Below“… Any time you bring your agent along for a meeting with the team, it’s pretty formal. It's pretty serious.”
“He just wants a team that has a shot… Any time you bring your agent along for a meeting with the team, it’s pretty formal. It’s pretty serious.”@ChrisBHaynes on Damian Lillard’s mindset in his meeting with the Trail Blazers 🧐
(via @BleacherReport)pic.twitter.com/2tNN697dMF
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 26, 2023
Obviously, whatever is discussed in this meeting will have a significant impact on Damian Lillard's Blazers future. If all goes well, then we can probably expect a joint statement from both parties reiterating Dame's unwavering commitment to Portland. However, if for some reason this goes sideways, then the worst-case scenario would probably be Lillard demanding a trade shortly after the meeting.