Damian Lillard has repeatedly committed to the Trail Blazers. Now he seems to be asking them to reciprocate by trading their draft pick for more help.
Damian Lillard is coming off arguably the best season of his career — he set a career-high in points per game and usage rate, with the highest true shooting percentage of his career, dropping a dozen 40-point games and another three of 50 or more.
But the Trail Blazers finished 33-49, missed the NBA Play-In Tournament by seven full games. This was just the fourth time in his career the Blazers have finished below 0.500 but three of those have come in the past four seasons.
At age 32, Lillard may not have many more seasons left competing at this level and so it’s no surprise he wants to the Blazers to do everything the can to avoid wasting another one. Reportedly, that includes a strong opinion that they should trade this year’s first-round pick.
NBA rumors: Damian Lillard is asking for a trade before or during the NBA Draft
Speaking with the media on Sunday after the Blazers’ season ended, Lillard said, “I want a chance to go for it. And if the route is to (draft youth), then that’s not my route.”
Calling this an NBA rumor might be a stretch, he’s all but saying TRADE THE PICK.
The Trail Blazers actually have two picks in the first round this year. Their own pick has a 10.5 percent chance of turning into No. 1, the fifth-best odds. They also own the Knicks’ pick from the Josh Hart trade, which will be No. 23. Lillard has also made clear he wants the Blazers to re-sign Jerami Grant and it’s not clear what else they could realistically get for one or both of those picks.
There is also the complicating issue that keeping their picks might help the team more in the short term than anything they could trade for. This class is deep and talented, loaded with NBA-ready players even late in the first round. Don’t forget — the Blazers’ pick from last season, Shaedon Sharpe, has already become a key rotational piece.
If the Blazers do land at No. 1, they could be in for a very difficult decision, choosing between a generational talent like Victor Wembanyama and keeping Lillard happy.
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