Is it that Damian Lillard will stay at the Blazers one more season? The question arises since the Blazers are on vacation again in April, and the All-Star point guard will still watch the Curry, Durant and Antetokounmpo fight for the title without him. Always faithful to Portland, Lillard has several times put pressure on its leaders, and perhaps he will, for good, ask to leave.
One thing is certain, he warns that there are enough young people in the team, and now he wants more veterans.
“I’m not very keen on bringing back guys who will be good in 2 or 3 years” he explains. “I think we got Shaedon at 19, but he’s just different. You just have to rub shoulders with him, to see his way of being, his way of listening, his stature, his natural talent and his abilities. I think there are enough 19-year-olds. You probably won’t find others like him. I do not care. »
A first round of Draft exchanged?
Except that Lillard forgets that the Blazers finished the season with the 5th worst record in the NBA, and they therefore have a one in ten chance of recovering the 1st choice of the Draft. We imagine that he will not refuse the arrival of Victor Wembanyama… We are not there yet, but according to The Oregonian, the Blazers have planned to trade their first draft round, and maybe even their first two draft rounds since they own the Knicks. The objective is clearly to recover a good experienced player.
“The goal is to improve as quickly as possible,” confirms GM Joe Cronin. “For the choice of Draft, we will see where it will be. We will see what its value is. You have to go through this whole process, much like we did last year with the choice. But, from a time perspective, it’s time for us to start moving faster towards a squad ready to compete at the highest level. So if that means using that choice or other choices in transactions, where you get aggressive to get things done, yes, we’re open to that”.
For Lillard, the direction must be aggressive. Last season, they picked up Jerami Grant, and Lillard wants to see another player of this level arrive. He dreams of Mikal Bridges, who is untouchable, but it is the type of player he wants to see at his side so that Portland finds the heights.
” It’s not a secret. I want a chance to play for the title” he recalls, before warning that it will not be done by the Draft. “If that’s the way to do it, it won’t be mine!” I think we are all ready to do what it takes to build a team that can do something. »
Better surround the “best player in the history of the franchise”
And Lillard believes in it. He thinks it’s possible to recruit heavyweights and attract very good players. “I am always optimistic. I’ve been in the league long enough to know that things don’t always go our way. There are a lot of things that are changing. For the past few years, I had set big goals for myself, thinking things were going to be different. I think Chauncey feels the same way. I think Joe feels the same. I think the optimism is there. I’m optimistic, but I think it’s time to get us all to work.”
For Chauncey Billups, who retains the confidence of his superiors, it is essential to better surround his leader. “I think we tinkered several times” believes Billups. “I think we need to be more aggressive than that. That’s just my opinion. If we really want to do what it takes for the best player in the history of this franchise, we have to be aggressive. »
