After he demanded a trade early in the offseason, Damian Lillard was traded by the Portland Trail Blazers just days ago to the Milwaukee Bucks in a blockbuster deal.
That deal brought them veteran two-way guard Jrue Holiday, who they then sent to the Boston Celtics for Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III.
There are now rumors that the Blazers may jettison Brogdon, but he pushed back on those rumors by saying that they want him around and he wants to be with them.
“They want me here, I want to be here. There’s a lot of misleading information out there about they need to trade me or I want to go… I’m embracing being here,” he said to Casey Holdahl via NBA Retweet.
“They want me here, I want to be here. There’s a lot of misleading information out there about they need to trade me or I want to go… I’m embracing being here,”
– Malcolm Brogdon shuts down rumors that suggest he may be on the move
(via @CHold) pic.twitter.com/QgiHkgwkA7
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) October 5, 2023
Brogdon is the league’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year after a strong 2022-23 campaign with the Celtics, and at age 30, he should have plenty left in the tank.
He can play either guard spot, which makes him a nice addition off the bench to a team that will presumably start Anfernee Simons and rookie Scoot Henderson in the backcourt.
Brogdon has career averages of 15.4 points and 4.6 assists, and he is a career 38.8 percent 3-point shooter, which should allow him to be a nice outlet for Henderson, who is very explosive and loves to attack the hoop.
Portland may be rebuilding, but they have a deceptively talented roster that includes forward Jerami Grant and center Deandre Ayton, another piece they acquired in the Lillard trade.
They may not make the playoffs this season, but one should expect them to be competitive and hungry as they start looking to the future after 11 fruitless seasons with Lillard, who will finally get a shot at winning an NBA championship alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.
NEXT: Scoot Henderson Sets Clear Expectations For Himself In Portland
