Damian Lillard says trade order rumors are ‘incorrect’ and she is expected to be in Trail Blazers costume next season

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Damian Lillard denied a recent report on Friday that he was expected to request a deal from the Portland Trail Blazers. “It’s not true,” Lillard said, adding that he expected to wear the Blazers’ uniform next season. However, he framed these comments by saying that he had not made a firm decision regarding his future. Lillard, who turned 31, signed a contract extension with the Blazers in 2019 and is under contract until the 2023-24 season.

“I woke up to those reports,” Lillard said after a training session with Team USA in Las Vegas. “You know a lot of people reach out to me. But it’s not true. I’m going to start stealing and say it’s not true. I said the last time I spoke to you guys that a lot of things said didn’t come from me. Number one, it’s not true. And secondly, I will also say that I have not made any definitive decision about what my future will be. So there is really no need for anyone else to speak on my behalf or report this or report this.”

The report in question came from Henry Abbott of True Hoop, and suggested that Lillard would request a move in the coming days. But while Lillard denied the report, he made it clear that he believes the Blazers need to improve – from top to bottom.

“I think this is the stage where we’re at as a team where all of us, not just me, not just my teammates, not just our new coaching staff, the front office, everyone in this organization should look in the mirror because we have to look in the mirror because we have to look in the mirror,” Lillard said in an interview With Yahoo’s Chris Haynes “We have to look in the mirror and say I have to be better because everything we’re doing doesn’t work and doesn’t give us the opportunity to compete at the level we want to compete at.”

Lillard was particularly unhappy with the fact that the Blazers were unable to advance past the short-handed Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs this season.

“Our environment has always been great,” Lillard said. “We don’t lose too much but we were eliminated by a short Denver team that I felt we had to beat.” I just walked away from that really disappointed. I was like, ‘Man, this isn’t going to work.’ We don’t win the championship, but we have a winning organization. We’re not a franchise that loses out here every year and gets divided. We have positive seasons; Just don’t end up with a championship. ”

It looks like a major crisis in Portland has been averted — for now. By denying that he planned to solicit trade, Lillard showed that his relationship with the organization was beyond repair. But, like any star player in his prime, he wants to see the team around him improve. If the team is unable to take steps toward this improvement, Lillard’s position on the trade may change.

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