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Want to try Damien Lillard? Cue 2, Trail Blazers Nuggets. Lillard, who is arguably the number one shooter in the NBA, earned 32 first-half points — behind eight three-pointers in the NBA — en route to a 42-point performance.
Want to try the Portland Trail Blazers? Despite Lillard’s historic effort, the Blazers trailed Denver by 12 in the first half and lost by double digits. Portland was eventually eliminated from the playoffs by Jamal Murray Nuggets in six games.
As the NBA heads out, Lillard’s future in Portland looms large. For years, Lillard was extremely loyal to the Blazers. Signed one contract extension. Then another occurred. It’s an institution in the city…and in the state…and in the entire Pacific Northwest. He’s not one of the greatest Blazers ever – he’s, with apologies to Clyde Drexler and Bill Walton, the greatest Blazers of all time. And at 30, signing through 2025, he has years to build on that legacy.
But the Blazers team is at a crossroads. This season’s first round exit was the fifth in Lillard’s nine years in Portland. They’ve advanced past the second round once in that time, in 2018. They struggled with some injury issues early in the season – how Lillard Blazers carried through that stretch was the case for a top player – but he entered the playoffs in largely healthy shape. Denver is still firing them.
So the question is: What do you do with Damien Lillard?
There is an argument – a good argument – for doing nothing. Lillard has averaged 29 points per game this season. He fired 39% of the three. He’s an all-six-time superstar and seems to have (at least) three or four high-profile seasons in him. There are not many players like this. Players like this appear in Portland less.
There’s an argument — a good argument — that the Blazers should put Lillard in the trade block. Take a closer look at how Portland has played this season. Is this really a team a disc or two away from jumping into the championship competition? At a press conference on Monday, Blazers general manager Neil Olshe suggested that a recent change in coaching — Portland’s dismissal of coach Terry Stotts last weekend — could make a difference. The Blazers have been terrible defensively this season. Olschi thinks the new coach – as happened in New York and Atlanta – can change that.
“The loss in the first round and defensive evaluation was not a product of the list,” said Ulchi.
Probably. But this list, despite repeated opportunities, has not yet proven to be of championship caliber. And bringing back Norman Powell, hoping for the healthy return of Zach Collins and relying on organic growth from Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little, probably won’t get there. Olshey could turn things around – CJ McCollum, Lillard’s backcourt partner for the past eight seasons, has always been in the trade rumors, and will be again – but can Portland really get a better McCollum player than McCollum?
Again, perhaps. But it is possible that this team has settled down. Olschi admitted this on Monday, believing that the new coach could change that. But the Western Conference is brutal. Utah is small and it will only get better. Phoenix, provided that Chris Paul brings back, will do so too. Clippers, Nuggets, and Mavericks all have star rosters loaded with stars. And the Lakers still have that guy LeBron.
Lillard’s party will probably be another three or four years – are the Blazers good enough to compete for a championship during them? And if not… why don’t you see what’s there? There is evidence that being proactive is more productive than reactive. In 2013, Boston exchanged franchise tokens Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn. What they got back was venture capital that turned out to be Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown. In 2019, Oklahoma City pressed the reset button, charging Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The Thunder were among the worst teams in the NBA last season. But they have Shay Gilgeos Alexander and 18 teams in the first round until 2027. Not a bad foundation to build on.
Ron Chinoy / USA Today Sports
There is also the question of what Lillard wants. For years, Lillard retracted the narrative that he had to work his way out of Portland. On Twitter, in 2017: “I’m willing not to win [a championship]. If I can’t build it where I am.” To USA Today, in 2019: “I don’t care what direction it is. I love where I live. I have a great position.” As Anis Kanter recently said, Lillard “is the most loyal player in the league.”
However, Lillard’s recent actions make you wonder if this commitment remains consistent. In the immediate aftermath of the loss to Denver, Lillard posted a quote from late rapper Nipsey Hussle: How long do I have to stay devoted? How long until chance meeting preparation. And when Portland fired the Stots, Lillard publicly endorsed Jason Kidd, and briefly boxed the Blazers until Kidd removed his name from consideration.
Asking Lillard privately to make a deal would make things easier for Portland. But even if he doesn’t, there’s an advantage to seeing what’s out there. Reports of the teams ramping up the pursuit of Lillard are hardly worth publishing. “We check in every year,” says one competing CEO. “You’d be an idiot if you didn’t do that.” Lillard’s trade value is now very high. But it may not always be so. Lillard has played through injuries this season. He has been an Ironman in the NBA for most of his career. If it starts declining, the payout — Lillard would also bring in over $50 million a season over the last two years of his contract — too.
Lillard deserves to win the Portland Championship. But Westbrook deserved one in Oklahoma City. Pierce and Garnett did enough to collect at least one more in Boston. Sometimes, though, individual greatness just isn’t enough. Lillard’s trading would be very painful. The question is, will a few more years of early exits be worse?
More NBA coverage:
• Brooklyn is scarier than anyone can imagine • Monty Morris is the unsung hero of the Nuggets • Kevin Durant looks like old KD against dollars • Clippers fight jazz – and their damned history
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