Damian Lillard denies any plans to claim trade but future with Trail Blazers is uncertain: ‘At the moment, I’m not sure what I’m going to do’

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Damian Lillard said Friday that he has no plans to claim the trade from the Portland Trail Blazers but has stopped fully committed to staying in Portland for the long-term or even next season.

“Right now, I’m not sure what I’m going to do,” Lillard said during a news conference after the NBA practice in Las Vegas.

A report earlier on Friday said Lillard wants out and will order a trade in the coming days, leading to rampant internet speculation about where Lillard might land. But a source told The Oregonian/Oregon Live ahead of Lillard’s press conference that Abbott’s report was inaccurate.

“I woke up to those reports from a lot of people who reached out to me,” Lillard said. “It’s not true. The last time I spoke to you guys I said that a lot of talk didn’t come from me.”

Lillard went on to say he expects to be in the Blazers’ uniform next season but has made it clear that he wants to see changes made to the roster that would elevate the team to true contender status before he fully commits to staying in Portland.

“I will also say that I haven’t made any firm decisions about what my future will be,” Lillard said. “There’s really no need for anyone else to speak on my behalf or report this or report this. If there’s anything to be said, as I said last time, I’ll speak directly with my team, or with Neil (Ulchi). That’s that.”

Lillard’s future has become a focal point of speculation since he received negative feedback from fans on social media upset about the appointment of coach Chauncey Billups, accused of rape in 1997 in a case that never resulted in criminal charges but ended in the settlement of a civil lawsuit. Submitted by the alleged victim. Then, a report from YahooSports cited sources claiming that Lillard, upset about being attacked by fans and dealing with the coach’s appointment, may eventually ask to be traded out of Portland.

Lillard denied this report during the latest NBA media trading session on July 8. But that hasn’t stopped the trade rumor mill from continuing to stir up rumors, trade shows, and belief in some circles that the eventual six-time All-Star is a hit. are being traded.

Although Lillard denies that he is demanding a transfer to another team, he also said he wants to see the Blazers show greater “urgency” to build a competitive team.

“I think we have a lot of pride in qualifying all these years in a row,” Lillard said. “We’re not a bad team, we’re a winning team. We’re in the playoffs every year. We have a great environment. We have a great city. We have great fans. There are a lot of positives. But I think we’ve got to that point where it’s like, well, that’s not enough.” Do we really want to win at all. Is that what we’re aiming for. And we have to do things to show that. We have to take action behind that desire to win at this level. That was the only thing for me all this time.”

The Blazers have reached the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons since missing last season in Lillard’s rookie season (2012-2013). But the Blazers have reached the level of the Western Conference once (2019) in the first round in four of the past five seasons.

(development story)

– Aaron Fentress | [email protected] | AaronJFentress (Twitter), AaronJFentress (Instagram), AaronFentress (Facebook).

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