Damian Lillard is well-known around the league for being one of the most loyal players out there. He has spent his entire career with the Portland Trail Blazers and developed into a superstar-level player while playing for the team.
Recently, it seems as though the Portland Trail Blazers have committed to a re-tool/rebuild. They traded long-time veteran CJ McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans, and are now letting younger players such as Anfernee Simons have more minutes and freedom on the court.
Clyde Drexler has recently given Damian Lillard some advice about his current situation in Portland. Drexler claimed that Damian Lillard has to "make that decision" about whether he wants to stay in Portland and be beloved by Trail Blazers fans, or whether he wants to go elsewhere to win a championship. (3:00)
“As a player, you have to make that adjustment and you have to make that decision real quick. Do I want to stay here and be beloved and maybe I don’t win a championship but they love you here in Portland? That wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to compete, I’m a competitor, I want to win, I don’t want to sit back and teach the young guys how to play. My thought was I wanted to go and compete for a championship and we were able to win it. It’s the best move I ever made.”
There is no question that the Portland Trail Blazers as currently constructed are not a championship-contending team. They have solid players such as Josh Hart and Anfernee Simons on the squad, but they don't have a ton of star power to help Damian Lillard win. However, there is a possibility that they are able to open up around $60 million in cap space this summer to build around Damian Lillard, so there's a chance they're better next year.
Hopefully, we see Damian Lillard get the opportunity to compete for an NBA championship in the future. He is a fantastic point guard, and we'll see what will happen between him and Portland soon enough.
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