Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers has looked downright phenomenal lately, averaging 30.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 7.3 assists a game.
He has also scored over 40 points three times during the last couple of weeks and recently earned a triple-double.
Yet, his team is still in rough shape, currently the tenth team in the West and fighting to stay in contention for the play-in tournament.
That has led to returned speculation that Lillard could be departing from the Blazers in the near future.
The Portland Trail Blazers have informed interested teams that Damian Lillard is not available for a trade, per @ChrisBHaynes pic.twitter.com/BH8DuQh8Wk
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 9, 2023
Portland’s front office has heard those rumors and aimed to squash them on Thursday morning.
The organization informed all interested teams that Lillard is in fact not available for a trade.
This statement from the Blazers isn’t surprising as it has been made many times before.
Speculation about Lillard leaving the team has been around for years now and it’ll likely be around for at least a few more.
He is one of the greatest basketball players alive and people wonder how long he will be willing to put up with a team that isn’t able to build upon his skills.
Apparently, he is willing to put up with that for a long time.
Instead of entertaining a trade around Lillard, the Blazers will try to bring him the reinforcements he needs.
They added Matisse Thybulle from the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, which will bring more defensive power to the team.
It’s clear that they won’t be landing a big All-Star player but they will try to add a few smaller, impressive role players to help Lillard.
Nearly every team in the Association would jump at the chance to acquire Lillard but it’s clear they will have to continue to wait.
NEXT: The Knicks And Trail Blazers Make Their Trade Official
