Damian Lillard recently denied that he is planning to ask the Portland Trail Blazers for a trade, but that does not mean he is pleased with the current state of the franchise.
Lillard wants to contend for a championship. While speaking with reporters at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday, the star point guard was asked about the role he has played in trying to recruit free agents to Portland. He said all he can do is “try to have conversations and convince guys to be a part of our team,” but that hasn’t worked this offseason.
“And obviously, this go around, we (weren’t) able to go out there and just get some of the guys that we would have liked, and you go down the list and you go through the guys that are out there that you like who haven’t committed to a team or was a part of your plans in free agency and you get the ones that want to be a part of what you’re doing,” Lillard said, via Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “And I think that’s what we did.”
The Blazers did re-sign Norman Powell to a five-year, $90 million deal, but they were unable to attract any of the top free agents on the market. Lillard has watched other playoff teams improve while his team, which finished sixth in the Western Conference and lost in the first round of the postseason, has not made a significant splash.
A report last month claimed a Lillard trade request was imminent, but the six-time All-Star quickly disputed it and called out the person who reported it. Lillard did, however, admit that he wants the Blazers to show more urgency to improve. His remarks about free agency probably aren’t a good sign.
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