No matter what Damian Lillard says or does, there is going to be lingering chatter about him possibly wanting out of the Portland Trail Blazers. He definitely intends to keep trying to dispel that notion, however.
Lillard appeared on ESPN’s “NBA Today” and was asked by host Malika Andrews about his future with the team. Lillard issued a fairly firm commitment to Portland. He said he does not want the perception to be that he will walk the second things get difficult. He also gave a positive sign and said he has developed a good relationship with Chauncey Billups, the new head coach.
A snippet of our interview with Damian Lillard on NBA Today: “I just wanted it to be clear. It’s not one of those situations where I’m waiting for some adversity to hit… The last thing I’m thinking about is waiting for it to get tough and then bailing out on (Chauncey Billups).” pic.twitter.com/vLecCHQcQz
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) October 22, 2021
“I just wanted it to be clear. It’s not one of those situations where I’m waiting for some adversity to hit or I’m waiting for us to struggle and I’m just going to be like ‘alright, that’s it, I’m leaving,'” Lillard said. “I’ve also developed a really good relationship with Chauncey (Billups), building on the relationship we had before he became my coach.
“It’s not like I’ve all of a sudden come to this point where I’m set because we made some changes. I’ve always been that way. Coming behind our performance in the playoffs, it was just important to me that our steps are truly towards becoming a championship team. That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen right away. That doesn’t mean everything is going to go perfect.”
Lillard added that he also wants to make sure Billups is successful as a head coach.
“The last thing I’m thinking about is waiting for it to get tough and bailing out on him when it’s part of who I am to see it through that he has some success as a head coach and be a part of that success,” Lillard said.
There is going to continue to be speculation about Lillard being unhappy in Portland. Even within the last month, there have been rumors that Lillard would be open to moving on but is reluctant to go back on his past comments. True or not, he’s certainly doubling down on the sentiment that for now, he’s good where he is.
