Damian Lillard is 'all in' on the Trail Blazers, according to teammate CJ McCollum
There has been plenty of speculation around Damian Lillard this offseason.
Was he tired of his Portland Trail Blazers exiting the playoffs early every year? Was he sick of having to carry a team that was incapable of even getting close to the NBA Finals, let alone win a championship? Did he – gasp – want out?
And to be fair, the chatter was not simply a product of big-market behemoths like the New York Knicks or Los Angeles Lakers trying to wish another superstar onto their deep-pocketed rosters. In reality, it all stemmed from a social media post that Lillard himself made after his team was ousted by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.
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It's a cryptic post, but it does seem to indicate frustration with the Blazers, and it also made Lillard's future an ongoing storyline through the offseason.
Since then, though, Lillard has made some attempts to change the narrative. During his gold-medal run with the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team, Lillard even said that reports that he wanted out were not true.
"No. 1 it’s not true and secondly, I also say that I haven’t made any firm decision on what my future will be," he said. "There’s really no need for anyone else to speak for me, or report this or that. If there’s something to be said, I’ll speak directly with my team."
Still, it seems like few believed him.
"If Dame Lillard leaves Portland," I can't blame him," Colin Cowherd recently said.
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And it's not just the pundits who've questioned Lillard's resolve to stay in Portland. The Philadelphia 76ers, who are looking to find a trade partner for Ben Simmons, would love to pry Lillard from Portland and appear to be waiting around for the star to officially become available.
As Yaron Weitzman wrote last week:
"Lillard, despite making it clear that he’s unhappy with the state of the Blazers roster, has yet to demand a trade. He seems reluctant to play that card or any card that could generate criticism or make him "the bad guy." And the Blazers, according to sources, have no interest in trading him.
"All of which has created a giant stalemate."
All of this brings us to this weekend, when Lillard's backcourt running mate with the Blazers, CJ McCollum, poured cold water on all of this.
Appearing on Adrian Wojnarowski's "The Woj Pod," McCollum said that Lillard was "all in" on Portland.
"I don’t want to speak for him, but having a close relationship … I have a pretty good sense of where he’s at," McCollum said. "And I think his goal is to win a championship.
"I think, at the end of the day, that’s what we all want. We want to put ourselves in the best position to win a championship. But I mean, he’s all in. I think at this stage I can say that he’s all in. He just wants to win at the end of the day."
It's clear that McCollum is trying to quiet the rumors around his teammate, but it's unclear whether that will actually happen. Perhaps Lillard really does want to stay in Portland after all. Or maybe he doesn't want to be known as a guy who would force a trade. Either way, it doesn't seem like the chatter will cease anytime soon.
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Lillard is under contract through the 2024-25 season, so it's not like there is urgency for the Blazers to move him. And while Lillard could push the issue if he really wants a change of scenery, it appears unlikely he'll do that.
So it looks like Lillard is staying put. At least for now. But if the 76ers – or some other team – were to get aggressive in pursuit, perhaps this could change. In the meantime, the 2021-22 season approaches, with regular-season games beginning Oct. 19.
Stay tuned.
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