Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has been extremely loyal to the franchise. You could even argue he has been loyal to a fault after falling short in the playoffs year after year.
Time and time again, Lillard talks about not wanting to leave to be part of a superteam elsewhere. The man badly wants to win big in Portland.
However, there might be some cracks showing in his outlook. Perhaps a trade request in the near future isn't so far-fetched.
Friday morning, Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes published a column about Lillard and the frustrating battle he's waging this season in Portland. He has been fighting through multiple injuries to help keep the team afloat, with CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic previously missing a lot of time.
Despite Lillard's warrior mentality and outstanding play, the Blazers are just 34-28 and sitting in the seventh spot in the Western Conference. That seventh spot would put them in the play-in tournament. Even if Portland moves up and avoids the play-in, the team looks like first-round fodder. They're one of the worst defensive teams in the league and have won a number of games simply on the back of Lillard's crunch-time heroics.
Haynes' column suggests this season, if it ends as expected, will likely cost head coach Terry Stotts his job. It also talks about the need for general manager Neil Olshey to get even more aggressive with roster moves (he has made some notable trades recently) because “Lillard deserves a shot at leading a legitimate championship-contending roster.”
The ultimate kicker to the column:
Simply put, Lillard has not received the help he needs to win a title in this era. As he turns 31 this summer and considering all he’s done for the franchise, a more aggressive, risky approach is needed in order to pair him with another bona fide star.
No one has ever questioned the fight in Lillard. But it is fair to ask if he’s been fighting the good fight alone.
What makes this so interesting is Haynes and Lillard are tight. This reads like Lillard getting this specific message out to the public through Haynes, which will surely put some pressure on Olshey and Portland's front office.
Basically, Lillard seems to be saying that if big moves aren't made soon and things don't dramatically improve, he's going to change his stance and finally ask for a trade to a better situation. It's warning shot across the bow and one that should be taken very seriously.
Lillard has given so much to the Blazers, so it's only natural for him to feel these frustrations. He's not asking out now, but he recognizes time is running out on his prime and he wants to be in a position to win a title.
Of course, it's unclear just what big roster moves could be made to improve the Blazers' fortunes? Would Portland break up the Damian Lillard-CJMcCollum duo? It very well could be the only way.
Stay tuned.
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