NBA star Damian Lillard makes it clear which team he wants Odell Beckham to sign with
The concept of forming a "superteam" to contend for a championship has become increasingly prevalent in the National Basketball Association. Casual interactions between NBA superstars have been scrutinized to no end, with any conversation believed to be part of the recruitment process to become the next Golden State Warriors.
Portland Trail Blazers star Damien Lillard made no attempt to hide an Instagram-based sales pitch on Monday. He's going after a superstar formerly based in Cleveland... but rest assured (Lakers fans), LeBron James is nowhere near Lillard's lure.
Where would Lillard like to see OBJ land?
Rather than the black and red of Portland, Lillard is looking to coat his target in black and silver. Lillard has taken an apparent interest in the Odell Beckham Jr. sweepstakes stemming from the star receiver's release from the Cleveland Browns. The point guard's post features a Photoshopped image of a smiling Beckham wearing a Las Vegas Raiders uniform, accompanied by a simple request in the caption.
"Make it happen @raiders," Lillard says, tagging the team's official account, as well as those of teammates CJ McCollum, Anfernee Simmons and Keljin Blevins (who is also Lillard's cousin). Lillard's hometown of Oakland, CA hosted Raiders football for over four decades before moving to Las Vegas prior to the 2020 season.
Responses to the post have been humorously mixed: McCollum, an Ohio native, is too distraught to buy into Lillard's idea, commenting that it's "too soon but I hope he (goes) somewhere and (thrives)". Blevins asks Lillard to "don’t tag me in this nonsense" but that he "actually would like to see him there," while Simons simply tags the Tennessee Titans' account instead. A'ja Wilson and Dearica Hamby, stars of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces (another asset of the Raiders' controlling owner Mark Davis), offer support for the plan through emojis.
Las Vegas (5-3) are currently tied for the AFC West lead with the Los Angeles Chargers, but they have gone through a difficult week. The team has parted ways with 2020's first-round picks Henry Ruggs and Damian Arnette, each of whom engaged in dangerous off-the-field situations that led to their departure.
Sunday saw the Raiders drop a 23-16 decision to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. A crucial matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs awaits in prime time on Sunday (8:20 pm ET, NBC).
Lillard and the Blazers (5-5) return to action on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers (10 pm ET, TNT).