The Portland Trail Blazers have been bounced in the first round in four of the last five seasons. If you're a Blazers fan, you've probably heard that factoid dozens of times already since Portland was eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in six games.

Immediately after Game 6, NBA Twitter started flooding with potential Damian Lillard trade ideas. Any coincidence they came exactly after the Los Angeles Lakers were ousted from their own first-round series? But while the smoke hasn't exactly meant fire just yet, the Blazers would be remiss not to take this as a stern wake-up call.

Yes, the Blazers got rid of their long-time coach Terry Stotts, the only one Lillard has ever had throughout his nine-year NBA career. But that can only change so much before the team is again shackled by the limitations that exist on their roster.

The Blazers' Damian Lillard Trade Dilemma

Damian Lillard Blazers trade

Just to address the elephant in the room, Damian Lillard isn't going anywhere unless the star himself asks out. The Blazers have been eternally lucky that their star is as content as he is. But the reality of the situation is that Lillard is turning 31 next month and his teams have never seriously been considered as true NBA championship contenders. A potential dark horse? Sure. Maybe in 2018-19 when they actually made the Western Conference Finals, or back in 2013-14 when LaMarcus Aldridge was still on the team and at the height of his powers. But a real title favorite? Not even close.

And yet somehow, the Blazers have also been extremely hesitant to shake things up. They've been ridiculed for acquiring bad-to-mediocre free agents or re-signing their players to exorbitantly pricey deals. They re-upped Meyers Leonard to a 4-year $41 million extension after extremely average production. They locked up Allen Crabbe to a 4-year, $75 million (!!!) deal. They splurged big-time on guys like Evan Turner, Festus Ezeli, and Maurice Harkless. While all of those guys have had productive stints at one time or another, they're not exactly earth-shaking talent.

When it comes to actual NBA stars, the Blazers have never been involved whatsoever. Damian Lillard fell into their laps and became an instant fixture in this league. But since then, has there been a single star that was seriously touted as a legitimate Blazers target? Carmelo Anthony was long rumored to be someone Lillard was interested in teaming up with, but they only got him when literally nobody else in the league did.

There have long been rumors on their interest in Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, but not only is that not happening, it also doesn't do anything for their title hopes. Given their track record, they'll probably get Draymond when he's absolutely washed. But after repeatedly being bounced despite superhuman efforts from Damian Lillard, the Blazers need to seriously man up and take a big swing.

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Portland's out of excuses

The glaring issue holding them back is seemingly their lack of tradeable assets. Their biggest trade chip aside from Lillard himself is CJ McCollum. Without a doubt, Lillard has endorsed his satisfaction with having McCollum as his running mate. The man is just that loyal. But after repeated runs together with minimal success, dangling him in a potential deal is an absolute must, whether or not Damian Lillard approves. Think DeMar DeRozan trade from the Toronto Raptors. Kyle Lowry definitely wasn't trying to get his best friend traded, but it was a necessary evil for the sake of progress. And, you know, a championship.

But the most important part of any blockbuster trade has and always will be draft capital. The Blazers fortunately have all of their first-round picks from 2022 onwards. The Blazers also have Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little, both of whom are still on their rookie deals. With the ability to offer McCollum, a few youngsters, and draft picks up to seven years ahead, the Blazers need to mortgage their future now.

Damian Lillard has stood quietly after years of mediocrity, perhaps too quietly. The Blazers need to be proactive in surrounding him with new talent, whether he asks for it or not. The opportunity may not arise immediately during the offseason, but stars are constantly on the move every year.

Unless the Los Angeles Clippers win the championship, Paul George might possibly be in play. Bradley Beal was surprisingly non-committal on his long term future with the Washington Wizards. Karl-Anthony Towns has tasted even less success than nearly any other All-Star in the league while languishing on the Minnesota Timberwolves. We may not know exactly what the trade looks like just yet. But unless the Blazers want to be forced to trade Damian Lillard down the line, they need to nab themselves a big fish sooner rather than later.