NBA Rumors: Damian Lillard getting impatient with his situation in Portland, demands quick action
Since their playoff exit, the Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard has dominated recent NBA rumors. The dynamic point guard's team crashed out of the postseason in the first round, succumbing to a 4-2 series loss against the undermanned Denver Nuggets.
NBA Rumors: Damian Lillard might consider leaving the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2021 off-season
As per The Athletic's Jason Quick, Damian Lillard is unsure whether he can win a championship with the Portland Trail Blazers. Here is what Quick wrote about Lillard's situation with the Trail Blazers:
"Terry Stotts is out as coach. There are rumblings that Damian Lillard is getting antsy," Quick wrote. " ... There is a palpable sense of urgency coming from Lillard's camp. Lillard wants to win big, and he wants to do it now."
The Portland Trail Blazers recently replaced Terry Stotts with Chauncey Billups, a former championship and Finals MVP winner.
Billups is well-reputed, and NBA rumors suggest Lillard played a small role in his hiring as well. However, the Blazers' job is Billups' first as head coach, who has inherited an imbalanced roster ahead of the 2021-22 NBA campaign.
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Damian Lillard had another excellent season, putting up 28.8 points, four rebounds and seven assists. He also had a stellar postseason, averaging 34 points and ten assists on 44% shooting from downtown. However, his effort went in vain, as the Portland Trail Blazers were unable to beat a Nuggets team who were missing their starting backcourt.
Lillard was quick to vent his frustration after the loss, questioning the team's pedigree. The Oakland native will turn 31 come July, and his impatience with the franchise seems justified considering he only has a few years of his prime left.
Damian Lillard signed a contract extension with the Portland Trail Blazers back in 2019, which keeps him at the team till the 2024-25 season. However, if the aforementioned NBA rumors turn out to be true, teams may not hesitate to offer lucrative packages to the Blazers to prize Lillard away.
The Portland Trail Blazers have failed to make a solid team around him, as Lillard was the only one who could hold his head up high after the loss against the Denver Nuggets. The management will have some key decisions to make this off-season regarding their roster, or the 2020-21 season could turn out to be the last of the Damian Lillard era.
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