NBA Trade Rumors: 6-time All-Star wants to stay in the Western Conference if he gets traded by the Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers have been linked to many NBA trade rumors since the offseason. The Blazers are in a difficult situation wherein they either need to commit to a full rebuild or continue putting a team around Damian Lillard and hope to win an NBA championship.
According to the latest NBA rumors, Lillard prefers to stay in the Western Conference if the Blazers eventually decide to trade him. Chad Ford mentioned in his podcast that the six-time NBA All-Star has not set his sights on a trade and the Philadelphia 76ers are not the favorites to land him if ever he makes the request.
"I don’t actually think that, at least nothing that I’ve heard of, has Damian Lillard insisting that it has to be Philadelphia, that he goes to. In fact, everything that I’ve heard is that he would prefer a move to the West coast or to stay on the West coast," Ford said.
At Trailblazers shootaround today Damian Lillard strongly addressed the rumors and noise:
“I’m not asking for a trade.”
“My intentions are to be in Portland and to figure it out.”
He added he’s in the office w/ Chauncey everyday trying to find solutions, not planning an exit.
It's certainly reached a point wherein it will be about loyalty or winning a championship for Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. At 21-31 this season, the Blazers are still in a play-in position to qualify for the postseason. However, Lillard could be out for the season after undergoing abdominal surgery.
The Blazers are expected to be one of the active teams in the trade market before the February 10th deadline. CJ McCollum has been linked with the New Orleans Pelicans, while Robert Covington, Jusuf Nurkic and Ben McLemore are getting interest from a handful of teams.
Damian Lillard open to sitting out the rest of the NBA season
Damian Lillard underwent surgery last January 13th to repair an abdominal issue that has been bothering him since 2015. The abdominal injury flared up at the Tokyo Olympic games and Lillard entered the 2021-22 NBA season bothered by the injury.
With Lillard undergoing surgery, he is set to be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks. However, he told AP Sports that he has no current timeline for his recovery. Lillard acknowledged that he still wants to win a championship in Portland, but he can't do it if he's not fully healthy. He's also open to sitting out the rest of the 2021-22 NBA season if the Blazers are not in going to qualify for the playoffs.
"I mean, if we’re gonna play for a draft pick it wouldn’t make sense to me. Because I’m not gonna play for no draft pick. I’m just not capable of that. So it’d be best if that was what we were doing, or what was decided, then it wouldn’t make sense for me to play," Lillard said.
Damian Lillard addressed media today for the first time since surgery.
-He feels good and doctors say all signs are positive
-Hasn’t ruled out returning this season but will depend on where team is at. Seemed open to sitting out year if it’s clear plan is to play for draft pick https://t.co/BfbMVPps6t
Damian Lillard last played a game on January 3rd against the Atlanta Hawks. He has only played in 29 games this season, averaging 24.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists. Lillard's shooting 40.2% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc.