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In an era of the NBA where stars are constantly joining forces to create superteams, Damian Lillard has been an outlier. Despite many fans and analysts begging for him to seek a change of scenery, the All-Star point guard has remained loyal to Rip City. His goal has always been to build a contender with the Portland Trail Blazers, the franchise that drafted him sixth overall back in 2012.
The Blazers have kept a large part of their organization intact for most of Lillard's tenure, but change has been in the air recently. First, the team brought in a new head coach in Chauncey Billups over the summer, and earlier this week Neil Olshey was fired as GM after a month-long investigation into allegations of his toxic, hostile workplace conduct. With Portland clearly in a state of flux, could we be approaching the long-awaited Lillard sweepstakes?
At 31 years old, Lillard only has so many peak years left in the tank. Based on how Portland has started the season, they do not look equipped to make the most of the star guard's talent. They currently sit at tenth-place in the western conference at 11-13 and have one of the league's worst defenses in terms of defensive rating.
Between their record and recent comments, things do not seem to be going smoothly. Following a 145-117 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday night, Billups hinted at some of the roster being uninspired.
Article Continues Below“I've never seen a team that needs its bench to inspire our starters,” he said, per ClutchPoints' Jack Winter, “and that shit is crazy to me. It's supposed to be the other way around.”
It's highly doubtful the Blazers will put Lillard on the block now, but all that could change once the organization hires a new general manager. We cannot forget there was a lot of chatter about Lillard potentially requesting a trade before he left for the Summer Olympics.
If a new GM does come in and decide to blow it all up, the Philadelphia 76ers are a team to watch closely. Since the start of the Ben Simmons saga, Lillard has been at the top of Daryl Morey's wishlist. Things unfolding how they have is why Morey was in no rush to trade the disgruntled All-Star.
During a recent appearance on NBA Countdown, Stephen A Smith mentioned that people within Lillard's camp want him to give the Sixers more consideration when it comes to possible landing spots.
“The only thing that would really tickle him and make him want to entertain leaving Portland, believe it or not, is going to the New York Knicks. There are people in his camp that would like to convince him to give Philadelphia stronger consideration,” Smith said.
As we know, Morey has waited for a trade to surface that puts the Sixers in a better chance to compete for an NBA championship. He was among the last men standing for both James Harden and Kyle Lowry last season. If Lillard were to come available, he will likely do everything in his power to pair him alongside Joel Embiid.
There is no telling how things will unfold. But based on how things have gone in Portland to start the season, the Lillard sweepstakes remain in the realm of possibility.
