“I talked to an executive this week who told me every single Portland Trail Blazer is available with the exception of Damian” - Brian Windhorst on Damian Lillard
ESPN writer Brian Windhorst has said that except for Damian Lillard, all other Portland Trail Blazers players are available to be traded.
The Portland Trail Blazers have struggled both on and off the court. They had only just broken an 8-game losing streak, securing a 9-point win against the Charlotte Hornets.
The franchise sacked their general manager and head of basketball operations Neil Olshey for violating the organization's code of conduct. That came about following an investigation into complaints about workplace misconduct.
As suggested by Windhorst, the Trail Blazers are looking to reorganize the team. The ESPN writer has said that an executive of the franchise has told him that only Damian Lillard will likely be retained. He said:
“I talked to an executive this week who told me every single Portland Trail Blazer is available with the exception of Damian."
“I talked to an executive this week who told me every single Portland Trail Blazer is available with the exception of Damian”
- Brian Windhorst
(h/t Hoops Hype) https://t.co/8VSqPgvoWo
If that is true, Jusuf Nurkic might be at the end of his five-year run with the Trail Blazers. That also means the likes of CJ McCollum and NBA champion Norman Powell could be heading out to the trade market as well.
Damian Lillard - the golden egg that remains untouched
The Portland Trail Blazers intend to retain their talisman, Damian Lillard, and build a team around him. The six-time All-Star is likely the only player with a guaranteed spot in the organization's roster.
Dame has always been a Trial Blazer through and through, having spent the entirety of his career with the franchise. Drafted in the first round of the 2012 NBA draft as the sixth overall pick, he put out the best performance amongst rookies of his draft class.
Posting an average of 19.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, Lillard won the Rookie of the Year award.
Damian Lillard is the fourth player to record 40 40-point games over the last 10 seasons, along with:
⚡️Stephen Curry
⚡️James Harden
⚡️Russell Westbrook https://t.co/Ft1yFavsGF
Damian Lillard had earlier been named as one of the 75 greatest players in the history of the league. He has a career average of 24.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game in 706 appearances. He holds the record for the most triple-doubles in NBA history (189), beating the earlier record of NBA legend Oscar Robertson (181).
The 6' 2" point guard has had a slow start to his new campaign, performing below expectations. He has only averaged 22.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game this season, 17th-best in the league for points scored.