There were many people that believed the Portland Trail Blazers needed to make some drastic moves when it came to their roster this past NBA offseason.
The team has been eliminated from the postseason in the first round in four out of the last five years, which in part led to the ousting of head coach Terry Stotts.
A lot of the focus when it came to the roster was on their superstar point guard, Damian Lillard. While he never requested a trade, rumors swirled that it could be on the horizon and that he would be on the move.
It was something that he pushed back against whether it was in interviews or on social media responding to people. Lillard wanted to remain with the organization and was not going to request a trade.
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The team has started the 2021-22 season with a 1-2 record and Lillard himself has struggled out of the gate. But, he doubled down on his assessment that he wants to remain with the Trail Blazers.
“I’m optimistic. I’m a believer,” Lillard said. “And I love this organization.”
Lillard is confident in the organization being able to put together a roster that can compete for an NBA title. While people outside the organization believe that general manager Niel Olshey came up short in upgrading the roster this offseason after Lillard urged them to do so, Lillard is not of the same belief.
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He was encouraged with the moves Olshey made, upgrading the roster on the margins while being able to retain his backcourt mate, C.J. McCollum.
“It was never out of hate or that we don’t like each other,” Lillard told NBA.com. “It was just, ‘This is how much I want to win it.’ So, once it was time to come back and I had a conversation with Chauncey and had a conversation with Neil, I’m not going to come back halfhearted. I’m going to come back and be all in.”
Re-signing Norman Powell was a good move and the trade that landed Larry Nance Jr. will bolster the frontcourt. But, it is still hard to imagine a superstar player being happy with the additions in free agency being Ben McLemore, Tony Snell, and Cody Zeller. They have played 62 minutes combined in three games, with Snell not appearing for a single minute yet.
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Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. It sounds as if Lillard is all-in and we need to take him at his word. If he is committed to the Trail Blazers and is saying as much, there is no reason to believe anything else.
So for now, Portland Trail Blazers fans can rest easy knowing one of the best players in the NBA wants to remain with their favorite team.