Damian Lillard may have played his last game for the Portland Trail Blazers.
After talk of Portland potentially shutting him down for the rest of the season, it now looks to be the case according to NBA insider Shams Charania.
And while Lillard is dealing with an injury, Charania wonders if given the Blazers' lottery-protected first round pick and disappointing season as a whole, whether it's the last we've seen of Dame Time in Portland.
“I'm told Damian Lillard essentially has been shut down for the remainder of the season,” Charania said on FanDuel TV. “… They also have a lottery-protected first round pick in this upcoming draft so there is incentive to get to the lottery, keep their first round pick this year, potentially even get in the top five, top three and see either you draft at that position or you end up trading that pick.
“But I think when you look at this for Damian Lillard, you now have to wonder if he plays another game for the Portland Trail Blazers.”
Lillard has regularly made public statements about his desire to stay and win with the Blazers. At the same time, he has also shown frustration with how the season has gone and with Portland set to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row, Charania expects real conversations about his future in the summer.
“He's 33 in July,” he added. “Where is his future going to be? I expect there to be some real conversations this offseason about how this team can improve and if they can't, where do they go with Damian Lillard and his future.”
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