Damian Lillard’s name has been all over the rumor mill so far this offseason after rumblings early in July about him potentially demanding a trade.
But here we are, a few weeks before training camp starts and two months before the NBA season, and Lillard has not yet made any such request. Nothing has materialized.
No one has made the Trail Blazers an offer they can’t refuse, either. All things considered, it looks as though Lillard is going to remain in Portland this season and see things through.
CJ McCollum seems to think so, too. He’s played with Lillard his entire career and the Blazers’ backcourt has a great relationship.
McCollum got on Adrian Wojnarowski’s podcast on Friday to talk about their relationship and what he’s seen from Dame. And, according to him, Lillard is “all-in” with Portland this season.
CJ McCollum on @wojespn pod on Dame: "I don't want to speak for him, but having a close relationship with him … I have a pretty good sense of where he's at. His goal is to win a championship. But … he's all-in. At this stage, I can say he's all-in. He just wants to win."
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) August 20, 2021
That’s got to be refreshing for Blazers’ fans to hear at this point.
Of course, things can change at the drop of a dime. Lillard could decide one day that he wants to be traded and make the request. But it’s evident we’re not at that stage of things just yet.
At this point, we should probably stop talking about the trade request. It’s not happening this season. Maybe things bubble up again next year if the Blazers don’t meet Lillard’s standards. Who knows?
But it seems pretty clear that Lillard will still be a Portland Trail Blazer this year. And fans have to be thrilled by that.
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